


Name of The G.A.M.E.

by Lagoonablues401



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Donnie gets another chance, F/M, First Love, First Meetings, Mild Language, Original Character(s), Sexual Content, Temporary Amnesia, Temporary Character Death, mentions of other superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:55:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 339,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2819465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lagoonablues401/pseuds/Lagoonablues401
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Donnie mysteriously reappears on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, Coulson assigns Anna Crawford, a mysterious teenager with a shady past, to find him and bring him back. But when neither return, the team go on the hunt to find them and bring them back.</p>
<p>Waking after a week comatose and assigning herself a new name, Thalia seems rather intrigued by Donnie's frosty attitude and secrecy. But as she begins to try and piece together the circumstances in which they met, she starts to realize that Donnie may not actually be as bad as he makes himself out to be. And the team learns that maybe her dark secrets should have stayed secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First and Last of Anna Crawford

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluegothic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluegothic/gifts).



> For Tiff, whose voracious need to see her child become a man inspired me.

"And I'm saying no."

"Aw, Ward, come on!" Skye stomped her foot on the training mat. "It's not fair! Haven't I proved myself enough?"

"Not to my standards, no."

"But--"

"I said no, I meant no." Ward took a swig from his bottle of water. "Now hit the showers."

"Fine," Skye grumbled. Tossing her boxing gloves to the floor, she stomped up the stairs into the lounge, catching Fitz and Jemma fighting over what movie to watch.

Rolling her eyes, Skye opened the door to her bunk, grabbing her towel and heading to the bathroom. Passing Coulson's office, she heard, "I'll see you soon, Anna" and her mind went blank. Who was Anna?

Smiling secretively, she walked the rest of the way to the bathroom, holding that small secret in the forefront of her mind.

After emerging from the showers, wet hair clinging to her arms, Skye was still smiling. As a matter of fact, smiling even bigger than before. And she almost laughed, except that would've blown her cover. She hurried quickly to her bunk and shut the door behind her.

After changing into normal clothes, Skye flopped onto her bed, turning her laptop on. Pulling up her game server, she busied herself with playing a card game when Ward knocked on the door. "Rookie."

"Can I help you?" Skye asked, clicking her mouse and creating a scopa match.

"We're debriefing in five," Ward said, leaving as quietly as he came. Pausing the game, she pushed herself up off the bed, exiting the bunk and making her way to the holocom.

"We got intel that Donnie escaped." Coulson replied, pulling up a report. "This report, filed by the lone survivor of the incident--"

"Lone survivor?"

"The transfer was ambushed, and everyone froze to death."

"Well, unless a polar vortex swept through the country, again," Skye said disbelievingly, "then that didn't happen."

"Yes, it did." Coulson pulled up pictures. The giant black van was covered in ice. "The atmospheric conditions were surprisingly warm compared to the ice."

"So then how did the car freeze?"

"What if Donnie somehow derived powers from the ice machine?"

Everyone looked at Jemma. "It's just an idea."

"It's a good idea," Fitz said. "The lightning strike broke the crystalline nucleation design and hit his hand. It could have bonded the freezing capabilities to his DNA."

Coulson frowned. "Then we're gonna need a specialist to track him down."

"Sir," Ward stepped forward. "I volunteer."

"And we're picking her up in an hour." Coulson stood straight. "We're making a routine stop in New York."

"What?" Ward asked, taken aback. "Who's this her?"

"She's our specialist." Skye passed him, heading back to her bunk. "Cana-duh."

Jemma burst into a fit of laughter. "Do you see what she did there, Fitz?"

"Yes, Jemma, I did."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Now, don't bombard her," Coulson advised. "She just got back from wherever she was stationed, so I doubt she's in the mood for questions."

As the ramp lowered, they were greeted by a large black van. The side door opened, and a dark haired teenager slid out of the car. Yawning, she went to the back of the van, opened the trunk, and pulled out two suitcases. As soon as the trunk was shut, the van took off.

"Hey Coulson," the teenager yawned loudly.

"Anna."

Skye made a quick eyeshot between the two. "So you aren't his girlfriend?"

"What?" Anna blinked. Looking to Coulson and back to Skye, she said, "No, of course not! He's old enough to be my grandpa."

"Isn't that something you'd say to an old person?"

Anna smiled wryly. "Are you telling me you dropped a decade in the six months I've been gone?"

"You two know each other?"

"Of course we do, Agent Ward," Anna drawled out. "He was my S.O., of sorts." She yawned again. "Can I go settle in?"

"I'm not stopping you."

"Good," Anna said contentedly, walking off to the transfer car.

"Anna? Your bags?"

"They're coming," she replied dismissively. Suddenly, her bags lifted up, trailing behind her.

Jemma and Fitz went wide-eyed. "Um, sir, how is she doing that?"

Turning back to the suitcases, Anna lowered her sunglasses, glaring at the two bags hovering in the air. Suddenly a zap of electricity passed between the two and they fell to the ground.

Jemma looked like she was about to faint. "Sir, I think she's infected." Leaning in, she whispered, "with the virus."

"No," Coulson shook his head, "She's not. She's just tired."

Fitz looked at Coulson. "Are you implying she can do much grander when she's fully comprehensible?"

"It's complicated." Coulson rubbed his face with his hand. "Incredibly complicated."

"Well, then please feel free to elaborate." Fitz made a gesture with his hands. "It's not like we're being rushed."

"I'd rather let her explain."

~*~

Sitting in the living room of their hotel room, Anna stirred a spoon around the inside of her coffee cup when Skye and Jemma entered the room. "Maintenance is gonna take all night, so we're camped out here until tomorrow."

"Spectacular," Skye grumbled. "I left my laptop on the Bus. No entertainment for me."

"I left my tablet," Jemma tried to console Skye.

Standing up, Anna walked over to the sink and dropped her cup and spoon in. Then she headed to the bedroom, shutting the door.

Laying down on the bed, Anna felt as if she had just lost the thing keeping her awake. Her eyes fluttered closed.

~G.A.M.E.~

As Skye scrolled through Reddit absentmindedly, she heard crying. Standing up, she went through the hotel room, checking the rooms. She knew Jemma was with Fitz (as usual), and nobody else was inside the room except Anna.

Opening the bedroom door, Skye found the teenager with her knees tucked into her chest, sobbing. Her hand held a phone.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Anna looked up, eyeliner running down her face in messy streaks. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Hey," she said, her voice hoarse. She sniffled, stood up and locked herself in the bathroom. The sound of the faucet running was heard, then the door opeened again. Anna emerged fresh faced.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, just going through old voicemails." Anna shook her head. She smiled. "I'm fine."

"Okay," Skye said, eyeing the clock. It read 10:29 p.m.

"Why don't you go to bed?" Anna said. "We have a big day tomorrow."

"Sure," Skye agreed, slipping off her boots and climbing into bed. Nodding, Anna shut the door behind her, leaving Skye to the darkness.

~G.A.M.E.~

Sitting in a debriefing room, Anna straddled the back of her chair as she read the file over for the first time. "His name's Donnie?"

"Donnie Gill."

"So he broke out of transfer?"

"Yes." Coulson tapped the table. "Anna, the team is concerned."

"Why would the team be concerned? Do they doubt my abilities?"

"Actually, to tell you the truth," Coulson said, "they're kind of scared of your abilities."

"Well, I'm a Registered Gifted," Anna replied off handedly, flicking through the file. "It says so in my file."

"Well, the majority of my team isn't Level 6," Coulson pointed out. "So I told them that you would give them the low-down about it."

"Okay, do me a favor," Anna slammed the file down on the table. "Quit listening to web-head and don't EVER SAY THAT AGAIN."

"Parker knows what's up."

"Ugh," Anna groaned, holding her head in her hand. "You are impossible."

Coulson half-smiled. "Well, I was raised from the dead."

"Jesus Christ," Anna muttered.

"He was raised from the dead too."

"You are unbearable."

Standing up, Anna was about to leave. "You want to hear a fun fact? Reason why our little bird in the Skye knew so much about the Centipede project is because she got her can of worms from me." Smiling, she added, "And you questioned her integrity."

Coulson shrugged it off. Must be one of her little mind games. Smiling, he said, "You're starting to sound like a traitor."

"In the end, we're all traitors, aren't we?" Anna asked, and for just a millesecond, her eyes fell. "Loyalty is your mistress, yet you can't ever please her. 'Her wicked words were laced with sugar and honey, and she lured you in, leaving love and reason behind. To I she is bitter, her words no longer sweet, her voice and touch are of no use.'"

Shutting the door behind her, Anna held the file in her hand. Going into the lounge, she sat down, flicking through the papers again.

"Anna?" She looked up to see Skye standing there.

"Yes?"

Fitz and Jemma came up the stairs. "Can we talk to you?"

***********************************************************************

"And that's much pretty much it."

Jemma gaped at her in confusion. "I don't get it though." She moved around the table to stand next to Fitz. "How did you manage to recover from an alien super virus?"

"That thing fried people's brains." Fitz messed with his hair.

"I told you," Anna said. "I have an incredibly strong system. It was almost like having the flu, although I haven't been sick since I was nine or ten. The exception when you guys gave me that shot."

"But you have a human immune system!" Jemma grew frustrated. "And this was an alien virus! You should've died!"

"And yet here I am." Anna looked to be taking it all in stride. She turned to Skye. "Does that about cover everything Coulson wants you to know?"

"I'm pretty sure. Although I do have one question." Skye picked up a scalpel. "How did you do that thing with your suitcases?"

"The virus had the power to alter molecular density in the person it was infecting. That person could also, unknowingly, generate electromagnetic fields with metal objects. You noticed how the electricity passed between them before they fell?"

Skye nodded. "Well, it has such ravaging effects on the person that they die. Whereas, if you survive, it's different. You could possibly obtain powers from this. The reason why they fell is because there's no longer any electricity flowing between them. The electromagnetic field manipulation and molecular density alteration is what made them float. The alteration makes them float, the magnetic field keeps them suspended, and the electricity keeps them connected. The weaker the control is, the more difficulty they have staying in the air."

"That's amazing."

"And humanly impossible," Jemma said disdainfully. "The human mind does not have the power to manipulate magnetic fields, control electricity, or alter molecular density."

"No, but the virus does." Anna pointed out. "Each time you get sick, your body creates different antibodies. But no two ailments are ever the same. Take HPV for example. There are at least forty known strains, four being the high-risk strains. Each time you get it, your body has to create antibodies to fight it off. Ninety percent of those strains are too weak to do any damage, so they are easily beaten. But the other ten percent are too strong for your antibodies to fight, so they work into normal tissue and turn them cancerous or worse."

Jemma scrunched her eyebrows together. "So what you're saying is that the virus can rewrite your genetic code, allowing you to do this?"

"Not in those exact terms but yes," Anna nodded. "The infected cells reproduce. But the healthy cells trying to fight them off die, and create other infected cells, but these new infected cells have suppressed the electric shock that fries your brain, and instead they work with the electricity. Other cells adapt to work with the leftover symptoms, and in the end, all the new cells are able to adapt with the virus. So, yes, you still have the virus, but your body keeps it contained. Your body is now able to create different antibodies to fight off new infections."

"Somebody that is able to argue with Jemma besides Fitz?" Ward leaned on the doorframe to the lab. "I don't know why you two aren't friends yet."

"She's describing something physically impossible." Jemma scoffed. "I survived the virus, but you don't see me making things float."

"Because we created Chitauri antibodies, Jemma." Fitz looked the biochemist in the eyes. "She didn't."

"Another example," Anna said. "Would it be possible to acquire powers from a radioactive spider bite?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" Anna stood up. "Because of the venom, the human body would have a reaction, leaving the immune system vulnerable. But if the spider's radioactive, then it was modified to a point. Since it infects the tissues, yet again, your body attempts fighting it off. Your body can't, and the venom rewrites your genetic code, allowing you to fight it off. But it leaves behind a few nasty side effects."

Jemma scowled. "Hypothetical side effects."

"Yes," Anna nodded at Jemma. "Hypothetical side effects. Those being proportional strength," Anna said, lifting up Skye's chair, with Skye in it. "Possible abilities to climb surfaces upside down, vertical, or horizontal, and the possible sense of precognition. Not to mention it would leave your blood and bodily tissues radioactive."

"But yet again, this is all hypothetical."

Skye's eyebrows shot up. "Her lifting up almost two hundred pounds of me and chair hardly looks hypothetical."

"Mike Peterson ripped the door off a car and hurtled it twenty feet."

"He has the Centipede intravenous filter."

"Girls, let's calm down." Ward put a hand on Anna's and Jemma's shoulders. "We don't want a fight."

"No, we don't." Anna smiled, ducking under Ward's arm and heading upstairs.

***

"So how did it go?"

"Almost unbearable." Anna scoffed. "She hasn't got a clue, does she?"

"She can be a hardhead." Coulson leaned back in his chair. "But when she has time to sit down and think about it, she'll come back."

The computer chimed. "They have a location on Donnie."

"Well that's good news."

"Let's move."

Anna squinted at the screen. "The plane's been rerouted for Los Angeles, California?"

"We fly up the coast to the Fridge."

"So, let me take a guess," Anna scrunched her eyebrows together. "The Fridge is in Alaska, and the Sandbox is somewhere in Egypt."

"That's classified."


	2. So The Story Begins

"Coulson!" Skye shouted. "The cameras are dead!"

"Anna's comm is dead as well!" Fitz added.

"What?" Coulson stormed into the lab. "What do you mean?"

"Anna and Donnie were arguing on the street corner when the cameras went down."

Coulson looked to Fitz. "Her comm ran for a smidge longer, but then something hit the comm, killing the power."

"Could you remotely restart it?"

"No."

"Ward!"

The specialist entered the room. "Yes sir?"

"Suit up. Our mission went south, and we can't restore cameras or comms."

Nodding, Ward left. Looking to the others, Coulson frowned.

Please be okay.

~G.A.M.E.~

Bright lights assaulted the backs of her eyelids. For a brief moment in time, she felt stabbing pain, but then the darkness claimed her, sending her into a place of warmth; the darkness was comforting, graceful.

The graceful darkness.

But now it was harsh light. Harsh light assaulting her eyes, making her head hurt. Her head. What happened to her head?

More importantly, why couldn't she remember her name?

Muddled voices echoed in her ears. She couldn't understand them, but each one sounded different. One was calm, another was stern and methodical, and the last one was hysterical.

Suddenly her heart rate picked up. Why was the last one hysterical? Did something happen? Who got hurt?

The stern voice clarified. "Her heart rate's picking up. She must be awakening."

Forcing her eyes to open, the bright lights overtook her, and she squeezed them shut. Her arms, heavy as lead, laid limp at her sides.

"Hey, stranger." The stern voice became friendly. When she opened her eyes, a woman stood next to her. Opening her mouth, her tongue picked up metallic tastes and stale breath. "So, how do you feel?"

The skin on her neck pulled uncomfortably as she opened her mouth. "I..."

"Try not to speak," the woman said. "You just went through surgery over your neck. Donnie staunched the bleeding." the woman pointed to a boy.

"Hey," Donnie replied, not looking at her. She couldn't understand. What had happened?

"And Mister Quinn over there," the woman pointed a very well-dressed man. "He funded your surgery."

Surgery?

"Pleasure to save your life, Miss..?"

"I can't remember," she replied, her voice hoarse. "I think it was Thalia..." She shook her head. "I don't know. I can't remember."

"Well how about we stick with Thalia until you remember?"

She nodded. Thalia... Why did it sound so familiar? She didn't know, but it stuck. Thalia it was.

"So, Thalia," the woman enunciated her name. "I am your doctor. Doctor Carroll."

She looked to Donnie and then back to Thalia. "Mister Quinn, I believe we should give these two some privacy."

"Of course." Mister Quinn nodded, following Doctor Carroll out the door.

Donnie turned to look at her. His eyes were downcast, staring at the floor. He kicked his feet."So..."

"Hi." Thalia managed to bring her now not heavy hands up into her lap, giving Donnie a small wave. Patting the bed, she said, "You can sit here if you want."

Exhaling, Donnie approached the bed, sitting down next to Thalia's hip. She was shocked to see the strange blue of his eyes. Opening her mouth, she asked, "So how old are you?"

Donnie stared at Thalia calculatingly. "We look the same age, and I'm eighteen, so I'm going to assume you're about eighteen or nineteen. Roughly."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm pretty sure I did." Donnie half smiled. She suspected it wasn't something he did often. "I compared you to me, and I said you were nineteen."

"That makes my brain hurt." Thalia held her head.

"I'm sorry!" Donnie blurted.

"No, it's an expression!" Thalia said, placing her hands on Donnie's face. Shock passed over his face. She dropped her hands. "Sorry."

"So, I'm going to take a guess and say it'd be pretty useless asking you about anything before the whole accident."

"I'm afraid so." Thalia smiled. "So about you. What about you? Who are you?"

"I'm Donnie," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Donnie Gill." He straightened up. "I was a student at SciTech."

"What's SciTech?"

"Science and Technolgy Academy of S.H.I.E.L.D." Donnie crossed his arms over his chest. "Of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."

Mister Quinn opened the door, peering inside. "Donnie, she needs to rest."

Donnie nodded. "Yes sir." Turning to Thalia, he said, "See you around?"

"Sure. Not like I'm going anywhere." Thalia laid back on the bed, her eyes shutting as the lights dimmed.

~G.A.M.E.~

"Sir, there's no sign of either of them anywhere." Ward came back from scanning the streets.

"Coulson," Skye approached the leader of their group. "I talked with police, and they said the cameras were cut off within a square block radius of the intersection."

"This is not looking good." Coulson frowned deeply, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sir?" Fitz approached the group. "Jemma found something."

Picking up the pace, he was soon led to a park bench about a few streets over, where Jemma was crouched close to the ground, running different instruments over the bench and the sidewalk. "What do you got?"

"Well, I got blood." Jemma put her instruments away. "On both the concrete and the bench. And then there's this." Sticking a gloved hand into the blood on the concrete, she pulled out a shattered ear comm.

"That was Anna's ear comm." Coulson could hear his voice starting to falter.

"Which means she must have had some serious impact with the bench and the concrete, and the force knocked the comm out."

"You're saying she hit her head?"

"She'd have to obtain a concussion of serious impact to knock it out of her ear." Jemma stood up, her face crestfallen. "So yes."

His heart climbed into his throat. "Oh God."

"Coulson," Skye placed a hand on his arm. "You okay?"

Coulson's voice was starting to crack. "No, I'm not. She's just a kid."

~G.A.M.E.~

Sitting in a chair, Donnie stared down at the floor. Looking at the clock, he was surprised to see it was eight o'clock in the morning. Had he really stayed up the entire night?

"So," Mister Quinn sat down in the chair opposite Donnie. "I think we should talk."

"What's there to talk about?"

"This girl, Thalia," Mister Quinn sat back. "I don't know what the extent of her memory damage is."

"Nobody really does," Donnie replied quietly. "She can remember her name. I suppose that's a start."

"You owe her," Mister Quinn said seriously. "You have taken everything from her, the least you could do is be friendly. On another note," he swiveled in the chair, "a friend of mine needs a favor."

Donnie looked to the camera feed, watching Thalia sleep. She turned her head, exposing a row of stitches down the back of her neck. A brief moment of pain flashed through him, and he rubbed his neck. "Like what?"

"I have a project for you."

~*~

Sitting in the lounge, Coulson held a hand to his head. A look of shock was plastered onto his face. Ever since coming back from the crime scene, he couldn't think. One of his team, gone. One of his family could possibly be dead.

The computer chimed. Clicking the answer button, Agent Blake's face filled the screen. "Coulson."

"Blake."

"The agents at the Hub have heard of Agent Crawford's accident." Blake bowed his head. "We offer our condolences. But that's not why I called."

"Then please, inform me of why you called." Coulson could feel the venom sludging through his veins as he said those words.

"A video was uploaded to our server." Blake frowned. Seemed a lot of people were doing that as of the past few days. "You might want to see it."

A loading video... icon came up on screen. Then a video box came up. "So," a garbled voice said. "It seems we have a misunderstanding here."

The video panned out to an operating room. Two doctors were in the room.

"Don't you find it odd, Carroll?" One of the doctors asked. "She hit the bench with such force that the metal bench should have penetrated the spinal column and pierced the brain stem. But it didn't. Instead, her bones broke off a piece of the bench."

Coulson paled considerably. The doctor known as Carroll approached the x-rays, viewing them one by one. "Well, I would say she'd be part of one of the new super soldier programs like Centipede. But she's missing the filter on her arm. Could her bones be like this naturally?"

"Possibly," the other doctor replied. "But she has chemical enhancements to everything. Oscorp maybe?"

"No," Carroll said. "Oscorp's enhancement serums don't do this. Muscle enhancement, yes. But cellular restructure of bone matter? Absolutely not."

"So, doctor," Carroll slipped on a pair of gloves. "Shall we play?"

The two doctors approached an operating table, where a deathly pale girl with black hair lay on her stomach. A mask was positioned over her face, and her back was splattered with dried blood. Her hair was moved off her neck, where the doctors began stitching a four inch gash closed.

"A horrible, horrible misunderstanding," the garbled voice said. "It seems I have one of yours, and you have one of mine. So I propose a trade. If you wish to have yours back, give me mine."

Before the voice could give specifics the voice cut off. Coulson felt rage running hot through his veins. "Finish the video."

"Whoever this is is, they want us to trade Donnie Gill's file for a teenager. I won't allow it."

"You would rather kill an innocent than save her life?"

"If that's what it comes to," Blake replied angrily. "She does not pose any significant value to the system, and whoever this is wants us to trade the file of a wanted fugitive for a specialist. Specialists are a dime a dozen."

Coulson clenched his jaw, anger flooding him. "That's not your call to make."

"Then good luck to watching her die." Blake's flinty stare was nothing compared to the rage inside Coulson. "Because I doubt you can save her life and keep his file at the same time."

Ending the call angrily, Coulson stormed out of his office. Heading into the lounge, he startled the team. "Debriefing. Now."

~G.A.M.E.~

Thalia sat in bed, eating her lunch when Donnie came in.

"Hey!" Thalia greeted him, crossing her legs so he could sit on the bed. "Doctor said I could get out of here tomorrow."

"Cool." Donnie stared down at her tray, a look that was a cross between disgust and confusion on his face. "What are you eating?"

"No clue, but Miss Carroll said I had to eat it." Thalia poked her food with a spork. "So how has life in the outside world been?"

He looked down to his pale arms. Smears of ink were across his right wrist, below the cuff of his gloves. "Do I look like I've been outside?"

"You're right," Thalia replied. "How has the afterlife been?"

His mouth twisted into a forced smile. "You're hilarious."

Thalia laughed, a musical laugh that made Donnie smile naturally. "But I'm serious. I'm not that pale, am I?"

"Yes, you are." Thalia sat back, a smile on her face. "I look like a tanned goddess next to you."

"Now you're hilarious." Donnie swiped her Jell-O off the tray. Taking her spork, he spooned a gelatin covered cherry into his mouth.

She looked at him blankly. "That was mine."

"Keyword, was," Donnie held the cup out of her reach. "You want it, come and get it."

Pouting, Thalia crossed her arms over her chest. "You're mean."

"That's mature."

"I'm confined to a hospital bed, and you took off with my food, the stuff I'm supposed to eat." She swept her hair over her shoulder. "And you have the nerve to--" her words were caught in her throat as she started reaching for her stitches.

Donnie set the Jell-O cup down on her tray. "What's wrong?"

"My hair. I think it got caught in the stitches." Thalia's fingers stretched towards her neck, unsuccessful due to the tubes running out of her arms.

"Hold on. Move up," Donnie said, moving the tray towards the end of the bed. Getting up and sitting behind her, he moved her hair out of the way, seeing a few strands tangled in the stitches. "Yeah. Your hair's stuck in there."

"Can you get it out?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute." Pulling off his gloves, he started pulling the strands out one by one. After about five minutes, he put his gloves back on. "All done."

"Thank you," Thalia said, placing her head on his chest. Looking at him upside-down, she smiled.

"No problem," Donnie replied, his heart doing a strange flip at her notion. When she brought her head up, her hair fell back down, cascading down her back in tangled black waves. Grabbing her hair, he took it and tossed it over her shoulder. Looking at the stitches, his glove came off and his thumb brushed across her skin.

"Jesus!" Thalia jumped. "You're hands are freezing!"

"Nobody's told me that before," he replied, slipping his glove back on.

"Well, in all the times I've seen you, you've worn gloves."

"I have to go," Donnie told her, checking his watch. "Have to get back." He left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Turning around, he was about to open the door when Doctor Carroll stopped next to him. "Taking vitals. Were you going inside?"

"No," Donnie replied quickly, backing away from the door. "I actually have to get back to the lab."

"Then I suppose you get to it, young man." Carroll tapped her clipboard. "Mister Quinn doesn't like to be kept waiting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's the beginning of the story. I'm sorry if some things seem a bit weird, but there were some things in italics so I apologize if they don't show up that way. As always, I'll update when I can and I appreciate feedback!


	3. The Beginning of Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters may seem a bit short for a while. It's gonna remedy in a while, but I am making sure the chapters have what they originally had (I'm not crediting anyone to beta editing the chapters because I'm homeschooled with WAY too much time on my hands and if you notice any goofs, have no fear and message me so I can try and fix the problem.)

Sitting on the couch in the lounge, Skye looked for solace as she looked at Anna's phone screen. The damned thing was locked, which was a big problem. Normally, she'd be able to hook it up to her laptop and hack in that way, but Anna apparently knew that at some point someone would try and hack her phone. Because the damn thing was also encrypted.

She was at least two steps ahead of Skye. Taking the phone, she hooked it up to her laptop, bringing up her hacking screen. The phone turned on. As she started typing, her notepad started filling up with numbers. Picking up the phone, she typed in the numbers, only to find out it was a letter password.

"Damn it," Skye muttered, biting her lip. Picking up a pencil, she started scratching out the numbers on the page when it hit her. Seven numbers, on a constant loop, in the same order each time. A phone number?

"Got you," Skye said to herself as she searched her line of numbers for the beginning of the number. _480_ - _6754_.

"Coulson?" Skye jumped up, following the sullen agent to his office.

"Yes?"

She thrust her paper out to him. "Who's phone number is this?"

Taking the paper, he scanned the page before pulling out his phone. Typing in the number, he put the phone to his ear as the ringing started. Skye strained to hear as the other person picked up. "Hello?"

"Sam."

"Hey Coulson, where'd you run off to?" Sam asked mockingly. "Wait, I forgot Tahiti."

"Well, Tahiti sucked."

"Good to know," Sam said. "So, what's with the call?"

"I need Anna's password."

"Her phone password?"

"No, her computer password," Skye said out loud.

"Who was that?"

"Skye." Coulson replied irritably. "Now, the password."

"I'm positive if you're calling me, then you tried hacking her phone, which of course didn't work, because you got my number. Well, the password is me."

"You as in..?"

"Me as in my name. My name, Sam. S-A-M."

"Thank you." Coulson hung up the phone. "Give me her phone."

Handing the IPhone to Coulson, he turned it on, typing three letters into the screen before it unlocked. "Why did you need to unlock it?"

"Because I thought there might be something useful on it." Skye stomped a foot. "And because I thought if a nineteen year old went to the trouble of encrypting her phone, and making a human her password, then obviously there's something on there she didn't want people to see."

"I'll see what's on it."

                                 ~G.A.M.E.~

"Well, Thalia, you're good to go." Carroll tapped her pen against the table.

"Finally." Thalia felt like a freed bird after hearing those words. She could finally talk to Donnie. After having to stay in bed for a few more days because of her stitches tearing, she was curious to find out what his deal was.

"..Understand?"

"Do what?"

"Keep your hair up off your neck until the stitches come out," Carroll droned. "And keep your stitches covered. The less exposed they are, the less chance they have of tearing or coming out prematurely."

"Yes ma'am." Thalia nodded.

"Meaning no sweaters."

"It's hot outside. Why would I wear a sweater?"

"Just covering all the checkpoints." Carroll held up a bag. "Here. New clothes to change into."

"Thanks," Thalia replied, looking inside the bag. Everything was in there: bra, underwear, tank top, and shorts. How were they so articulate with details?

"Now go shower."

Standing up, Thalia was able to walk to the door without problems, and as she shut the door behind her, she took off towards the bathroom.

As soon as she was inside, she tossed the bag into the sink, shaking off her hospital gown. Climbing into the shower, she turned it to warm, letting the water cascade down her back.

What felt like an hour later, she stuck an arm out from behind the curtain, feeling for her towel. Dragging a fluffy white towel back into the shower, she wrapped it around her body, wringing out her hair and laying it on one shoulder.

Stepping out, she dried herself and changed in record speed. Exiting out into the hall, she toweled her hair.  And then she set off on a search for Mister Quinn.

Entering what was most likely the entryway, Thalia stopped, looking at the stairs. She was already lost as it was, it couldn't hurt to explore. As she ascended the stairs, she was greeted with a long hallway. So that's how she spent twenty minutes knocking on doors and checking rooms for any inhabitants. At the last door on the right, she knocked and heard, "Come in."

Turning the knob, the door drifted open, and the first thing she saw was projects; little projects scattered along almost every flat surface. Shutting the door behind her, she looked at each one. Most were just box shaped, but there was one that looked charred, almost as if it had been burned...

"Don't touch it." Thalia jumped and spun around. Donnie stood there, watching her observe the machine. "It's not safe."

"And yet you have it," Thalia said sardonically. "I think you and your projects have some things in common."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact they hold the general 'look but don't touch' air around them."

Donnie scrunched his eyebrows together. "You're personifying machines?"

"Yes," Thalia replied, keeping her voice level. "I am. As an example."

"So you're saying that my machine and I are the same in the fact we tell people to back off?"

"Yes."

"Well, now that's cleared up." Donnie forced a smile. "I wasn't expecting you."

"And vice versa," Thalia replied. "I was actually looking for Mister Quinn. Wanting to know when I could start working in the lab."

"With your stitches still in?" Donnie moved her hair to see the row of stitches he now had gotten accustomed to. "Nice try."

"Well, it was worth a shot." She shrugged her shoulders. "So what is this place? A lab?"

"My room?"

"Oh. _Oh._ " Thalia suddenly took a second look around the room. Things that stuck out before then made sense. The dirty clothes, the bed. "Was I interrupting something?"

"Possibly," Donnie replied vaguely. "Like sleeping."

"I'm so sorry!" Thalia backed up to the door. "I had no clue."

"Yeah me neither." He sat down in a chair. "I was working on something and just about passed out with a soldering iron in my hand."

"Was it on?"

His face remained half in the shadows as he touched his cheek gingerly. "Grazed my cheek a little when you knocked."

"Well, let me look at it."

"No, trust me, I'm fine."

"Melding metal to skin does not have pleasurable feelings." Thalia stared him down. "Now let me look."

Turning on the light, Thalia turned his jaw, noticing a burn on his cheek. "I thought you said it grazed you!"

"Your definition of graze and my definition of graze are two very different things."

"Dammit, Donnie," Thalia cursed. "Where's the first aid kit at?"

"I don't keep one in here."

"What? Why not?"

"I don't have the room."

"Boys and their toys," Thalia muttered.

"Well, at least my toys work."

Mimicking his annoyed tone, she stood up, rummaging through the piles of metal parts. Feeling the ridged plastic of a tube cap, she yanked it out. Aloe vera.

Coming back to Donnie, she opened the bottle, squeezing a pea-sized drop onto her finger. Turning his face, she rubbed the aloe into the skin. Donnie wasn't moving, but she could see him tensing the muscles in his jaw. "Does it hurt?"

"Just a little," he managed.

After completely rubbing the aloe in, her fingers still ran over his face. They traced every plane, every small scar, until she realized that he was staring at her.

"Sorry." She capped the bottle and set it on his bed, knowing full and well that he was still staring at her. "I should go."

"I'm hungry."

"Of course you are. You're a boy." Thalia rolled her eyes. "I'm assuming the space that your first aid kit should be in is probably occupied by junk food."

"Well, it's not my fault I have such a brilliant mind."

"That's what you're calling it?" She scoffed. Shaking her head, she said, "Now I really have to go. I need to find my room."

"Mister Quinn said it's the door next to mine." 

"Thank you," Thalia replied. But before she could put her hand on the handle, Donnie put his arms on each side of her head.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Thalia turned around, looking him in the eyes. Ironically, he had blue eyes. She would've suspected they'd be brown. "Accidents happen. If you want it to be an accident, then it was an accident."

"But I don't think it was."

"Then what was it?"

She could see the mental gears turning in his head. "I-I don't know."

Feeling her voice drop to a whisper, she said, "Well, when you figure out what it was, you can tell me." 

Slipping out the door, she entered the room next door, feeling mentally exhausted. Crawling into the bed, she started to feel sleepy. Sleepy like she had never felt before.

                                    ~*~

Opening his eyes, Donnie could feel sleep lingering on the furthest outreaches of his mind. Glancing at the clock, he allowed himself a small victory. A full nine hours of sleep. Without the nightmares.

Pushing himself out of bed, he trudged to the bathroom. Flicking on the light, he glanced at his sleep-ridden body. The burn on his cheek was gone. _Thalia_. But just to be sure, he took a glove off, touching it to the still sensitive skin. A thin sheen of frost covered his cheek, and he slipped his glove back on.  

Heading back into the room, he flicked the worklamp on, illuminating his newest project. Slipping on his earbuds, and a pair of noise reducing headphones, he started playing his music. As he worked away, his mind slipped further away from his work and more to Seth. Seth and Thalia. Thalia.

He didn't want her hurt. There was nothing more to it. Thalia was going to get hurt the longer she was around him. The stitches in her neck were his fault, so he tried to distance himself. Visit her for shorter periods of time in recovery, throw himself into his work. And then he had to go and touch her. And that just made things worse, because now he wanted clarity. But clarity last time proved to be much more than he anticipated. Last time, he thought Seth wanted to be his friend. But Seth only wanted to please his dad. His dad worked for Quinn Worldwide, whereas he was going to become a S.H.I.E.L.D. certified environmental engineer. As a matter of fact, it was Seth who suggested they build an ice machine. And then they did, and he died. He died because he wanted his dad to like him.

Shaking his head, he continued working away. _How did it go from Thalia to Seth_? The answer was simple. Over thinking. He over thought everything. He went from wanting to keep her safe to wanting to take back everything with Seth. Because of him, Seth died. Because of him, Thalia was hurt. She almost died. And he didn't want that. He wanted her to go back to her own life, instead of having to be stuck here. Now she was going to have a permanent reminder that wherever he goes, pain follows. Nothing but pain.

Looking down, he realized he got much more done than anticipated. Turning off his phone, he removed the headphones and earbuds. Winding up his earbuds, he tucked his phone back under the mattress. Standing up, he blindly walked over to the ice machine, looking at the charred piece of junk that Quinn had salvaged from the transfer car.

"Donnie."

Turning, he saw Thalia rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Finally you hear me. I've been calling your name for the past twenty minutes."

"Sorry."

"What were you working on?"

"Just one of my projects."

"Well, I could hear you 'working' through the walls at one o'clock in the morning."

"I was that loud?"

"I'm surprised you didn't wake Mister Quinn." Thalia scowled. "And half of the compound."

"Well, I'm going back to bed." Donnie laid down on the mattress. "So I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Turning on her heel, she marched back out of the room. Shutting the door behind her, Donnie could feel the weight of his whole situation crashing down on him. That being was he didn't want her to get hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd another thing. Thanks to badscienceshenanigans who helped me with the everything, I fixed the italics! Thank you so much for helping me!


	4. Maybe It's Not You

They couldn't track her anymore. Anna was gone. They couldn't pin any possible whereabouts, couldn't do blood trails.

Anna was gone. Most likely dead. If not dead, then brainwashed into working for them. But "them" still did not have a name.

"Skye." Coulson called her name. She bounced through the door, her usual happy smile gone. She felt Anna's disappearance as deep as he did. "I need you to do something."

"Sure, A.C., what do you need?"

"We know that one other group can help us." Coulson internally hated himself for the depths he was about to sink to. "I need you to contact the Rising Tide."

"Why?"

"Because they're gonna help us find her."

~*~

Sitting on a stool in the lab, Thalia watched in awe as Donnie dismantled a computer tower.

"Will you please--"

"Thalia."

"But I just--"

He smiled, his reaction concealed by his face mask. "You know what I'm gonna say, yet you keep talking."

She crossed her arms. "What if I was gonna ask to go to the bathroom?"

"Thalia, you don't have to ask. It's just over there."

Mister Quinn entered the room. "How are we?"

"He won't let me get off the stool."

"Now Thalia, you're stitches are still in. You can't work in the lab until they come out."

"Until they come out, yes, I know." Thalia frowned, picking at the heel of her boot. "But why can't I just do something small, like deliver parts when he needs them, or..."

Everyone stared in awe as objects started floating off the table and into the air. Donnie put down his hammer and looked up. Confusion laced his features. "Lorelei?"

Thalia concentrated her gaze on him. "Huh?"

"The stuff spells out Lorelei."

"Lorelei..." Thalia's face lit up. "My middle name! Thalia Lorelei!"

Electric discharge shot between the objects as they fell to the ground. One smacked Donnie's face mask. "And you're positive?" he asked, catching a screw before it stabbed his eye.

"Yes, Donnie, I am positive." Thalia nodded her head vigorously.

"Miss Thalia, would you come with me?" Mister Quinn asked. "Doctor Carroll needs to speak with you."

"Yes, sir." Thalia jumped off the stool, following the man eagerly. She left, leaving Donnie alone with a scrawny looking kid. Which was saying something.

He shot a quick glance. "Who are you?"

"Uh, Tyson Adams." The kid leaned against the wall. "Currently considering joining Quinn Worldwide. I'm a hacker."

Donnie gave the kid a searing once-over. "You look younger than I do."

"I'm twenty-four!" Tyson declared. "And I work for the Rising Tide."

"You sound like that's something to be proud of."

"Says the kid that used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tyson shot back. "You know, I've been here the past few days, and I've seen the looks you give that girl. Thalia, is it?"

Donnie could feel a muscle in his jaw jump. Thankfully, his face mask prevented anyone from seeing it. "What's it to you?"

"Does somebody have a crush on her?" Tyson smiled.

He turned away from Tyson stiffly. "No."

"You're lying."

"Really, how?" Donnie took the mask off his face. "How would I, the dorky engineer you think I am, possibly have a chance against all the other guys on the compound?"

"Because you have the one thing they don't." Tyson clicked his tongue. "Ingenuity. Along with the fact you're the only other person here her age." As an afterthought, Tyson added, "Why do you constantly wear gloves? Do you have a thing against dirt or something?"

"Is it any of your business?"

"I suppose not." Tyson smiled an eerie smile that made Donnie internally shudder-for both him and Thalia. "But with her being a Registered Gifted, I suppose you wouldn't be able to touch her without getting the shock of your life."

"Registered Gifted?"

"Yeah," Tyson approached him. Showing him the screen of his phone, he pulled up a list of names. His name was on it. "You and Electrick--"

Anger seared through his veins. "If you call Thalia a hooker again, I will personally fry your circuits."

"Anyways," Tyson shrugged off Donnie's threat. "You and her on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Registered Gifted list. One Donald Vincent Gill and one Thalia Lorelei Quinn."

Donnie was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat. "Quinn?"

"Supposedly, according to confidential files, Thalia was abducted after a house fire destroyed her home. Apparently not."

"Well then how..."

"Hold on," Tyson held up a finger. Rapidly typing away on his keyboard, he let out a little cheer when whatever he was typing was sent. "Gotta go."

"But..."

"It was nice talking to you." Tyson exited the room, typing away on his phone.

Shaking his head, Donnie put a pair of goggles on, beginning to rewire a circuit. Thalia bounced in, smiles and laughter. "Hey."

"Hey Thalia," Donnie replied, moving a diode off the circuit. "What'd they need you for?"

"Blood sample," Thalia said. "And they removed my stitches."

Those words caused Donnie to drop his tweezers. Landing on a power cell, it shocked his hand. "Huh?"

"Yeah. See?" Turning around, Thalia pulled her hair up,where a pinkish area of skin covered her neck. Small holes parallel to each other were on each side. "They said because of some kind of chemical enhancement, it healed up faster than they thought. It's not even gonna scar!"

Removing his goggles, he checked her skin, and sure enough, the stitches were gone. "So, where do I start?"

~G.A.M.E.~

"Huh," Skye checked her phone. "Guess The Kid was good for something after all."

"I'm sorry, who?" Ward moved a white piece onto his Battleship board.

"Coulson!" Skye yelled his name. "I got a hit!"

He rushed into the room. "Who?"

"The Kid." Skye sunk one of Ward's ships. "He's running a backchannel search on the inhabitants of Ian Quinn's compound in Italy. Donnie pinged on the search, along with a Thalia Lorelei Quinn." She chuckled. "The scumbag."

"I thought you weren't with the Rising Tide." May shot Skye a steely glare.

"I'm not. I just called a favor with one of the new recruits." Skye scrolled through the feed. "Finances from Ian Quinn show he funded a surgery. The description said a young Grecian woman received twenty stitches in her neck for an unknown injury."

"Grecian?" Jemma looked up from her Scrabble game with Fitz. "As in Greek? Weren't the Greeks proven to be a quite vague civilization, despite all we know?"

"Theories suspect that the Greeks were actually Asgardians. We have circumstantial evidence that points to that being so."

"So there's a chance that on top of being chemically enhanced, she could also be Asgardian?"

"Judging how she was able to withstand the Chitauri virus, it's possible. But she has a dormant form of the virus, which means she must have some degree of human blood in her." Jemma forced a smile. "Hypothetically speaking."

"Skye, get down to the lab, work on that data."

"But our game!" Ward said.

"We all know I'm going to win anyways." Skye shut the boards, causing Fitz and Jemma to snicker.

"Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go." Skye muttered as she stomped down the stairs.

~*~

As they walked down the hall back to their rooms, Donnie poked at Thalia's arm. "So, how was your first day in the lab?"

"Exhausting," she replied, wiping a hand across her face. "I am wiped. I'd be more worried about your cheek. Is the burn gone?"

"Yes." Donnie nodded, and Thalia beamed. He broke into a fit of laughter. Thalia stopped, her hands running over her face.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah, grease."

Thalia looked at him pleadingly. "Please tell me it comes off."

"I have something that will help." Donnie opened his door, letting her in while he searched. Going into the bathroom, he brought back a washrag and a bar of soap. "Now sit."

Sitting down at the work bench, Thalia remained quiet as Donnie wet down the rag, lathering it up with the soap. "Now try not to move. If it gets in your eyes, it'll make them sting. A lot."

"Got it." Thalia went rigid, closing her eyes. As he washed the grease off her face, Donnie noticed how still she was being. Almost like a statue. He had to put a little effort in scrubbing her face, and she still didn't move, although she did sway a little because of Donnie's scrubbing.

"Done."

Slowly opening her eyes, Thalia reached for the handtowel, drying off her face and eyes. After she finished, she picked up the mess, putting the soap back in the bathroom.

"You know Donnie, you could benefit from cleaning up all these spare parts," Thalia nagged, the heel of her boot catching in some sort of metal shell. "Maybe you could take them to the lab."

"I could," Donnie replied, sarcasm in his voice. "But then what would I build at one o'clock in the morning?"

"How about some solid shut eye?"

"That's why I work." Donnie said plainly. "Because I can't sleep."

"I could taser you."

"I don't really relinquish the feeling of being electrocuted." He scowled. "God knows how may times that happens while I'm working."

"Well then what helps?"

"Not having nightmares for starters."

She sat back down in front of him, urging him to tell. "I have nightmares of when Seth died. When the machine got struck by lightning, the current got him, and he was shocked to death."

"I'm so sorry," Thalia said quietly.

"And it also got my hand."

"Is that why you wear gloves?" Thalia asked, taking one of his hands. "Because it scarred your hand?"

"No, it didn't scar," Donnie shook his head. He pulled off one of the gloves, showing his hand. "See?"

"Hm," Thalia made an inquiring noise. Reaching for his hand, she was shocked, and truthfully kind of hurt when he pulled away from her, putting the glove back on.

He pulled away. "It's complicated."

"Oh, it's complicated?" Thalia teased. "I just got twenty stitches in my neck, got dissed by a guy, and the same guy is giving me the cold shoulder because I wanted to see why he wears gloves all the time." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Telling me about how it's complicated."

Donnie cracked a smile. "You're actually making fun of me and I'm smiling about it."

Thalia moved closer to him, her face centimeters away from his. "It's a habit."

"Habit." Donnie could feel his breath icing. "An action or routine that is done constantly, whether it be known or unknown."

"Right," Thalia replied, her head spinning. Suddenly everything was moving too fast, her heart was beating too quickly, not enough oxygen was getting to her brain. Fire shot down her spine.

"Thalia, what's wrong?" Donnie asked, jumping off the bench and helping her stand. The fire streaked down her spine again and into her legs. She clawed at her throat, hoping for oxygen to find its way into her chest. "Thalia, what's happening, can you tell me what's wrong?"

"It's getting--" she paused, "--really dizzy..." Leaning forwards into his chest, she could feel a surge of bright pain behind her eyes as the world went dark.

~G.A.M.E.~

Coulson charged down the stairs when Skye called him. "What do you have?"

"Tyson sent pictures over the Rising Tide mainframe of Donnie and Anna."

Pulling up the photos on her phone, she sent them to the big screen. Pictures of Anna in a hospital bed, asleep from the medication, with people off to the side. "Who are they?"

"Tyson said the doctor is Abbey Carroll, a woman with PhD's in..."

"Neurological sciences." Coulson nodded. "She's also a surgeon."

"The other two, he said, he couldn't get a clear shot of. But he knows for a fact that one is Ian Quinn."

"So that's where she is." Coulson pursed his lips. "Quinn has them."

"Tyson was the one who sent the video to S.H.I.E.L.D. of Anna's surgery." Skye pulled up another picture. "And he said Donnie was there too. Doctor Carroll said that if he hadn't staunched the bleeding from her neck, she would've died during surgery."

"Anything else?"

"Coordinates for the compound." Skye typed away on her phone. "Looks like the compound's based in 907 Shell Road, Miami, Florida."

"Repeat that."

After Skye repeated the address, Coulson paled. "That's Anna's cousin's address. Anna has a cousin named Vee who lives in Florida." He hit the intercom button. "May, reroute the plane for Miami, Florida."

"On it." The two felt a shift as the plane changed directions.

Heading upstairs, Coulson saw the waiting expression the agents had. "Suit up. Quinn has a compound in Florida where Anna's surgery was performed. Skye's source says they're still there."

"On it." Everyone moved at once, gearing up for the compound.

"Thank you Skye." Coulson looked to the hacker, pouring every ounce of gratitude into his words.

"She's family to you, she's family to me." Skye said. "And you don't leave family behind."

~G.A.M.E.~

"She's stable." Carroll nodded. "It was odd, the impact of the memory loss extended to even basic functions. To put it into English, she actually forgot how to breathe."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Donnie looked around the doctor, where a nurse was helping her stand up.

"She's fine." Carroll clipped. "I can assure you, it will not happen again."

"Good." Mister Quinn let out a sigh of relief.

"Sir?" A guard poked his head in through the door. "Security's picking up a plane headed this way."

"S.H.I.E.L.D." Mister Quinn looked to Donnie. "I need you to help her get to transport. I have to deal with this."

"Yes sir."

"Ian, she is not ready for transport to another compound. Not for another few hours, at least."

"Abbey, we're about to have fire and brimstone rain down on this compound. I need the scientists to get the next compound." Mister Quinn smiled. "He can help you."

"Yes sir," Carroll said curtly, leading Donnie into recovery. "Thalia?"

She took the oxygen mask off. "Yes?"

"We need to go." Donnie looked to the door. "Mister Quinn needs us to get to transfer."

"But I haven't been released yet."

"Well, we don't have the time to waste," Carroll snapped. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s about to storm the compound. Now come."

Storming out of the room, Thalia looked to Donnie.

"Did we do something wrong?" Thalia asked Donnie, following him out the door and down a long, dim hallway.

"I don't know." They ran into a guard. "Are you two Donnie Gill and Thalia Lorelei?"

"Yes sir." Thalia nodded, and they were led into an underground garage, where they were ushered into a black Chevy Sonic. "Where are we off to?"

"The next compound," Carroll answered, climbing into the driver seat. Starting the car, a set of doors opened in front of them, and Carroll hit the gas. The tires spun in place for a moment, but then they gained purchase, and the car was off like a rocket, flying down the road and out the garage.

As they flew down the street, Thalia turned her head to look out the back windshield, where the house they left was becoming a blur in the distance.

"Thalia, we're gonna be fine." Donnie intertwined his fingers with hers, which were trembling. "Remember, in and out. In and out."

Nodding, she took two deep breaths, leaning on Donnie's shoulder. And she watched as the landscaping around them became a colorful blur.


	5. I Think of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, looking back on the earlier writings of this story, I think of how weird it is, because in the beginning of this, even though Thalia is very ignorant of how awkward the situation is with poor Donnie, she still tries to be friends with him and I've been in that situation before, so I can relate and write from truest parts of my memory.

As the ramp lowered, Coulson felt a fiery determination sing in his veins. Skye took his hand, shaking it to remind him that they all were with him.

Ward went down the ramp first, holding a Night Night pistol in front of him as he went through the front door. Four shots were heard.

"Clear."

The rest of the team went down the ramp, sticking close together. As they entered the house, they were surrounded by four guards, which were all knocked out. "FitzSimmons, you guys cover the lower levels, me and Skye cover the upper. Ward, man the main floor."

Skye bolted up the stairs, opening each door. Each time, she shook her head. Opening the two doors on the right, she nodded. Preparing his gun, Coulson went in, pointing it into the empty rooms. A soft groan was heard. Flicking on the lights, Skye searched the room. "Somebody's in the closet."

Opening the door, they found Tyson on the floor. He took in a raspy breath. A rather large pool of blood gathered around him.

Skye bent down to look. A gunshot to the chest. "Who did this?"

"She came back," Tyson rasped. "She said she came back."

"Who? Who said that?" Skye brushed his dark hair out of his face. "Tyson? Who said that?" He went still.

She placed his phone on his chest, over his heart. "He did a good thing."

"I know," Skye replied, her eyes brimming with tears. "He deserved much more than this."

" _Sir, we've found something_."

"What is it?"

"Some kind of dispersion device." Jemma's voice crackled over the comms. "It has blood on it."

"Tag it and bag it." Coulson stood up, inspecting the room. It was surprisingly dark, and turning the lights on, the charred machine sat on a table against the wall. "Fitz, I got something you'll want to see."

~G.A.M.E.~

As the car skidded to a stop, Thalia was suddenly jolted awake. Her fingers were still intertwined with Donnie's, who was asleep, drooling on the [window](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45313846#).

"Get up," she nudged him. He woke for a few seconds, looking around outside. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the buildings.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know." Thalia shrugged.

"We don't go into the compound until Quinn gets here," Carroll said. "And obviously, he's not here."

"Well, what's the holdup?"

Carroll [checked](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45313846#) her phone. "He has some things to take care of in the United States before he gets here."

"We're not in the U.S. anymore?"

Starting the car, she turned them around, heading into a city a few miles from the compound. Stopping outside a hotel, the three climbed out of the car. Entering the lobby, Thalia and Donnie sat down in chairs while Carroll talked with the receptionist.

"Name?"

"Someone booked a reservation for the two of them?" Carroll pointed to Thalia and Donnie.

"Ah, yes." The receptionist clicked his [computer](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45313846#) mouse. "Mister Quinn booked a King suite for the those two for a week." Handing her a key, he smiled. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." Carroll approached the two teenagers, who were [falling asleep](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45313846#) on each other. "Come on, let's go."

Getting up, Thalia basically dragged Donnie along with her to the elevator, where they rode in silence up to their floor.

"Now, I have to go to a conference here in town." Carroll handed Thalia the key. "Do not leave this room unless I say you can."

"Yes, ma'am."

Opening the door, Thalia dragged Donnie through, [depositing](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45313846#) the now passed out teen on the couch. Carroll scribbled a number on the notepad. "Here's my number. If I call, and this number shows up, answer. Other than that, I have to go."

Shutting the door, Thalia locked the deadbolt. She turned to the couch. Bending down to Donnie's feet, she took off his shoes, leaving them next to the couch. Then she draped a blanket over him.

Heading into the bathroom, she surveyed herself in the mirror. Same black hair, same brown eyes, same everything. What changed?

Shaking her head, she jumped in the shower, feeling the sting of the water against the back of her neck. She winced.

Jumping out, she quickly wrapped a towel around herself, changing into the clothes someone left on the counter. Donnie, maybe?

Wrapping the towel around her head, she left the bathroom, seeing Donnie still passed out on the couch.

"Thalia," Donnie moaned her name into the couch cushion.

"Yes?"

"Will you lay down with me?"

"Okay," she said awkwardly as she sat down on the couch next to him.

"Comfortable?"

She laughed. "Why are you asking me weird questions?"

"Because I'm bored, I need something to do."

"I'm not your primary source of entertainment."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Donnie asked. "I can't tinker with my projects."

"Um, sleep, quit bothering me. Really, the list could go on and on."

"You're so nice."

"Well, I try."

"When I sleep, I think of you." Donnie sat up, staring at her with confused eyes. "Why?"

"I don't know, Donnie. I can't look inside your head."

"I like to think it's because I somehow feel protective of you."

Thalia could feel a blush creeping up her neck. Keeping her voice level, she asked, "Why?"

"When you were still in the hospital, I felt like--" Donnie stuttered for a few seconds. "I felt like if I didn't see you everyday, somehow you were going to drop off the face of the earth." Donnie laughed wryly. "It's ridiculous, huh?"

"I-" Thalia paused. "Really?"

"Yeah." Donnie looked up at her. Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "Since when did you start blushing?"

Thalia looked down to the floor. "I don't blush."

"Has anyone told you you're a horrible liar?"

"You."

"That's harsh."

"Donnie, are you okay?" Thalia asked.

"I'm fine." He said, yawning. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight."

Donnie slowly blinked. "Wow. I slept a long time."

Standing up, Thalia was about to enter the bedroom when Donnie stood up. "Hold up. I'm coming."

Following her into the room, he bumped into her when he saw the problem. "So how are we gonna do this?"

"We could each sleep on seperate sides."

"Sure," Thalia drew out a breath, putting her hair up. "It's a big enough bed."

Crawling into bed, both teenagers refused to look at each other, for fear of the unknown. Unknown being something they both had trouble coming to terms with.

~*~

As the sun warmed his back, Donnie had come to terms with the fact that is was probably time to get out of bed. Pushing away sleep, he tried to get up out of bed.

And then Thalia moaned loudly, scaring the hell out of him.

Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see her sleeping under him, hand dangling over the bed. His theory was they somehow migrated towards the other, probably since the bed was freezing cold. But then that just might be him.

To him everything was cold. Everything but her.

Her skin was warm. Moving her hair off her neck, he could see the skin had blended even more. Now the damage looked nearly non-existent.

And he jumped again as she sighed, stretching her arms out. As fast as humanly possible, he moved back to the other side of the bed, falling off the edge as Thalia sat up, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Fell."

"That seems pretty obvious." She took her hair down. "Did you sleep on top of me last night?"

"No."

"Well, I felt this weight on my back. I could barely breathe," Thalia complained.

"That would probably be your imagination."

"So, who wants breakfast?" Thalia chirped. "I'm making pancakes."

"Just give me a minute, I have to untangle myself from the bed."

"I can put together a perfectly good pancake mix without your help." Thalia left the room in a huff, leaving Donnie to his thoughts and his legs stuck in the sheets.

~G.A.M.E.~

Coulson stormed back onto the Bus. May had been doing runaround checks of the Bus while they were gone. But when the team came back, she knew that Anna had not been with them.

"Sir?" May could feel the tension between the members of their group; each person had not looked at the others, and they didn't talk. "You recieved a comm while you were gone."

"And?"

"It seems Agent Blake had someone add Anna's name to the Wall of Valor at SciTech."

" _What?_ " May could sense the tension in the room had spiked with that bit of news.

"And it seems that Agent Blake knew about the things going on at the compound." May placed her hands behind her back. "He knew about the compound, although he claims he wasn't aware of who's ownership it was in."

"It was a setup." Coulson gritted his teeth. "The compound had the address of Anna's cousin Vee. When in reality, Vee doesn't even exist. Vee was just a mnemonic device implanted into Anna's brain. She knew about the compound. The calls on her phone from Vee make sense now. 'Vee' was just reinforcing Anna's memory with the compound's address."

"It would make sense." Everyone turned to Jemma. "Using a person to reinforce memories of items or people that don't exist. Mnemonic devices are methods people use to retain information. For example, the Beauchamps. When Freya and Ingrid's mom was thrown in jail, their Aunt Wendy told them about their Aunt Marilyn possessed a great fortune. So the girls went to the cemetery to dig it up. Except Marilyn didn't exist. It was just a coffin filled with money."

"Wait a minute," Skye stopped them all. "This imaginary cousin Vee was just a mnemonic device implanted into her brain to retain the location of the compound. Who says that anything else she knows could just be things to help her remember other compound locations?"

~*~

Putting the sheets back on the bed, the smell of pancakes wafted in through the door.

"Hurry up!" Thalia called, and a fresh waved of sizzling noises floated through the hotel room.

"I'm coming," Donnie said, coming into the kitchen as Thalia added another pancake to the growing pile. She handed him a plate.

"Make your plate," Thalia ordered him offhandedly. "I got to finish making the rest of the mix."

"Or you could refrigerate it and make the rest some other time." Donnie shrugged, adding a few pancakes to his plate. "Just an idea."

"How about you shut it?" Thalia waved her spatula at him. "I made you your food, now eat it and quit bothering me."

Shaking his head, Donnie ate his pancakes, watching in fascination as Thalia hummed along to a song while flipping pancakes. When the bowl was finally empty, she added it to the growing pile of dishes in the sink.

"Where's the cleaning stuff?"

"Probably in the cabinets above the sink." Donnie pointed to the cabinets with a fork. "So little kids can't accidentally ingest them."

"Okay." Backing up, Thalia jumped onto the counter, opening the cabinet and pulling out the dishwasher detergent. And in a little under twenty minutes, she had the dishwasher running.

"Miss Carroll said she was going to call." Thalia sat at the counter, staring at the phone in its charging port.

"And she will. Just give it time." Donnie cleared his plate and set it inside the sink. Thalia swiped it off the counter when it started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Thalia, this is Miss Carroll." She could hear several people in the background. "Can I speak with Donnie please?"

"She's asking for you," Thalia said to Donnie. Taking the phone, Donnie began talking to the doctor while Thalia went to change.

"So, has she exhibited any signs of forgetfulness while I've been gone?"

"No, ma'am." Donnie replied. "But she has been having some of the weirdest mood swings I've ever seen."

"Explain."

"Well, she offered to make breakfast, and I was going to help, and she got mad because I wanted to help. Then she just went back to normal. And then she got mad again when I told her to save the pancake mix she made for later. And then she went back to normal again."

"Mood swings are perfectly normal." Donnie could see Carroll nodding her head through the phone. "She's probably becoming frustrated that she has to have everything done for her and wants to start doing some actions on her own.

"But," Carroll added, "Do not let her do anything that's incredibly loud, or requires a copious amount of complex thinking. It might hurt her."

"Understood."

"I've got to go. An up and coming neurologist is about to start a presentation, and it's on the harmful effects of Extremis on the brain. I cannot miss it." The line clicked off.

Placing the phone back on the reciever, Donnie spun around as Thalia charged out of the room, snapping a rubber band in place on her hair.

"Hey," Thalia leaned against the wall. "What'd she say?"

"Not much, just checking up."

"So, can we leave?"

"No." Donnie fidgeted with the cuffs of his gloves.

"Well, it's not gonna kill Carroll if I roam the hallways." Thalia twisted the deadbolt open.

"Thalia, no. She said you can't go out."

"And why not?" She spun around, her back pressed against the door. "Donnie, please. It's been two days. I don't want to be stuck in here for a full week."

"You were in a coma for longer than a week!" Donnie replied frustratedly. "Nobody knew if you had pulled through or not." Donnie approached her, letting his forehead touch the top of her head. " _I was scared._ "

"A boy admits he's scared?" She asked, her voice wavering. "That's a first."

"I'm serious." Donnie hugged Thalia in close to him. "I was scared you wouldn't make it."

Thalia reached up, brushing her lips against his. "I'm not going anywhere."

Looking down to her, Donnie felt an odd sense of warmth in her presence. It made his fingers tingle. In a sweeping motion, he pulled his gloves off, dropping them to the floor. He reached up, touching her cheek with his fingertips. Just a hint of ice ghosted along her cheekbone.

"So that's what you do," Thalia said amusedly. "That probably explains the cold skin."

"Yeah."

Donnie could remember when he met Seth. He had mockingly asked if Donnie had his first kiss. He lied, as almost every SciTech student had about the subject, that yes, he had. A girl named Carly Brisecka had kissed him on a dare from her other friends. The girl actually did exist, but he may have done a little white lying about her personality. Seth had been put under the impression that Carly had been quite intelligent, but in reality, she had been a priss, someone Donnie had only _hoped_ would even glance at him.

The door started rattling behind them. Moving back, the door moved again.

"Was that Carroll?"

Donnie shook his head. "No," he said cautiously. "She said she was about to go to another presentation."

The door rattled again. Time stilled for a few seconds, and they relaxed. Right as the door handle flew off, sailing right past them and through the balcony door.

"Hello, lovelies."

~*~

As Skye sat in the lab, leafing through a protocol book, she thought of Coulson up in his office, mourning over the loss of a team member. _No. She's not dead._

Her phone buzzed. Checking the screen, she saw a text from Miles.

_Have you heard about it yet?_

She texted back: _Heard about what?_

_The weird things going on just outside Italy. 1 attachment._

Clicking the attachment, a phone video came up. The video panned up to the sky, then zoomed out, just as lightning struck several times in a park. At first, Skye thought it was strange, until the lightning started freezing to the ground. Ice spread rapidly up the bolt, and made it about a hundred feet up before they both disappeared. In the background, anything metal started floating in the air.

"Jemma!"

The biochemist rushed to Skye's side. "Yes?"

"I need you to get this on the holocom upstairs," Skye handed Jemma her phone, rushing up the stairs. She called everyone from their various parts of the plane. "Guys, come here!"

As everyone rushed to the holocom, Jemma handed Fitz the phone, who pulled the phone's video up to the big screen. "Watch it."

Playing the video, everyone was in different stages of shock. Even May had trouble comprehending what she saw. "Where is this happening?"

"Just outside Italy." Skye paused the video. "See the stuff floating in the background?"

"Anna." Coulson's face literally lit up.

"That's physically impossible." Fitz pointed to the screen. "Lightning cannot stay on the ground for that long."

"But the ice is freezing it to the ground." May raised an eyebrow. "I've seen strange things, but this destroys that list."

"She's with Donnie." Skye deduced, taking a mental note to question May about her comment. "After all, nobody's really knows how far their gifts can extend."

"May, reroute the plane for France." Coulson looked at her, a small glimmer of hope gleaming in his eyes. Skye smiled.

_Thank you, Miles._

~G.A.M.E.~

First thing Donnie could recognize was the door had been blown off the hinges. People flooded in, pointing guns at them. At least eight to two. _What weak odds_...

"So, I hear we are in the midst of two of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s greatest young gifted." the ringleader clapped his hands together. "Have my suspicions been confirmed or..?"

"No. We're not," Donnie replied, mustering as much courage he had. "Sorry for the inconvience."

"Oh, that's a shame," the man said. Snapping his fingers, one of the other men jerked Thalia away, yanking her head back by her hair. A knife tip was positioned over her jugular, her feet dangling millimeters above the ground. Another man jerked Donnie back by the back of his shirt, doing the same thing with the knife.

"So," the leader said, looking at Thalia. "Which gift do you possess? Gravity? Ice? Beauty perhaps?" He smiled at her, and a rage started bubbling up in Donnie's chest.

"None," Thalia answered, her feet reaching for the floor. "None at all."

"Now I don't believe that," the leader replied. "Because I think if I try and hurt you--" He pointed to Donnie, "--Then he'll try and hurt me, which will end up bad for both of you. So why don't you just stop lying to me?"

Donnie watched as they pushed the knife point into her skin, pressing harder and harder until it broke skin. She screamed, a terror-inducing sound that broke Donnie's resolve in half. "Stop!"

Guns pointed in his direction. "So the boy has something to say?"

"Yes, I do."

Gunshots rang out through the room, and all eight men dropped. Looking to the entryway, Carroll stood there, holding a smoking gun in her hands. "You kids okay?"

"We're fine."

"Come on, let's go. We've already been here too long, and Mister Quinn said he won't be able to make it. He's given me the code to the compound."

Dragging themselves out of the mass of dead bodies, the two followed Carroll to the car.

~G.A.M.E.~

"This is the building." Skye looked up at the hotel. "You could see it in the background."

Approaching the building quickly, the team went up the stairs, quickly searching each floor. Up on the tenth floor, they found what they were looking for. The doorway was smashed in.

"Well, I safely assume they were here at one point." Skye poked an edge of the doorway. "And judging by the inside, they were actually here not too long ago."

Spilling into the room, each team member took a different part of the room. Skye and Coulson were in the main room.

"This guy's knife has blood on it." Skye poked at a dead body.

"Well, you were right." Ward and May came from the bedroom. "They were here as of recently. As recent as today."

"Who wore these?" Skye picked up a pair of gloves.

"Most likely Donnie," Fitz replied. "If we're assuming he has powers, then he would've worn them to prevent anything he touched from freezing."

"And most likely the blood was her's," Jemma concluded. "If these people broke in, then they would have tried to hurt her, and he would have retaliated."

"So," Skye stepped into their small circle. "Then we can also safely assume that wherever she is, he is. I'm betting things are going to start heating up between them." She looked to Fitz, who gave her a deadpanned look. "What? Too soon? Too punny?"

"Too ironic."

"What, with the whole ice thing and..." Skye looked around. "When did everyone stop talking?"

"About three embarrassing sentences ago."


	6. Tip of A Needle, Tip of The Iceberg

"So, now that we're here," Carroll entered the sprawling estate. "We're safe."  
  
"Define 'safe'."  
  
"Safe, as in hidden away, secluded, doesn't show up with a paper trail of virtual trail. That type thing. You two clean up, we're going shopping in an hour."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." The two nodded, disappearing up the stairs to the rooms. "Why?"  
  
"You guys need clothes, and I will not have you two running around in blood stained clothing. Are you crazy?"  
  
"You forget who you're asking." Thalia wound a finger around the side of her head. "I haven't got a clue who I am."  
  
"Don't sass me, young lady." Carroll shot a glare at Thalia. "Just do as you're told."  
  
When Carroll disappeared into the kitchen, Donnie started laughing. "I haven't seen that woman red-faced in ever."  
  
"What can I say?" Thalia pushed ahead of Donnie, opening doors as she looked for the bathroom. "Ah, here it is."  
  
"The bathroom?"  
  
"No, my bedroom." Thalia gave him a dead panned look. "Of course the bathroom."  
  
She beat him inside. "You snooze, you lose."  
  
"Not that either of us have been doing much of that as of late."   
  
The second the words left his mouth, her startled expression spoke volumes. "I didn't mean it like that!"  
  
"Well, I would hope not!" Thalia replied, clearly astonished by his two-toned comment. She closed the door, but not before he noticed the furious blush creeping up her neck.  
  
Searching the hall for his room, he found it near the end of the hall. Opening the door, he found it to look more like a lab than a bedroom, but if it had a bed, then he'd consider it a bedroom. After all, his room at SciTech looked more like a lab than it did a room, and he didn't mind.  
  
As the clock ticked away slowly, Donnie walked around the room, looking around his new workspace. He let his fingers drift along the metal tables, which in true engineer fashion were scattered with tools and small projects.   
  
Music drifted down the hall to his room. He had told Thalia to turn it down, but she couldn't hear him, which led him to believe the walls were soundproofed.  
  
Growing bored, he stood up, wanting to explore the rest of the house. Coming out into the hallway, he had shut the door behind him when he slammed into Thalia.  
  
"Damn it!" she cried out in pain, holding a small box to her stomach. "Those _were_ my ribs."  
  
"Sorry," Donnie mumbled, looking up to see Thalia holding a box with a red cross on the side. "So I see we're putting a first aid kit in my room now?"  
  
"Yes, _we_ are," Thalia said, thrusting the box into his arms. She passed by him, opening the door to his room, and she bounded down the steps to the floor, he noticed what she was wearing was familiar. So familiar, in fact...  
  
"Are you wearing my shirt?"  
  
"What?" She looked down to the plaid button down she was wearing. "So?"  
  
"I'm not mad." Donnie pinched the fabric between his fingers. "I'm just a bit shocked you're wearing it."  
  
"I like the way it smells," Thalia commented offhandedly. Clearing a spot below the workbench, she reached for the box. Handing it to her, Donnie watched as she fit it inside the small space. "What's Carroll doing?"  
  
"She's making herself something to eat downstairs."  
  
"Okay," Thalia nodded. "Now that everything is in place, I have no business here."  
  
"What about your neck?"  
  
"Missed." Thalia dusted off her hands. "Donnie, I'm fine. It's not bleeding anymore."  
  
"Just let me look."   
  
"No."  
  
"Thalia..."  
  
"I'm perfectly fine," Thalia snapped. "I say that to you because you do dumbass things like burning your face with a soldering iron, or slicing open your hand on a circuit board."  
  
"Now we both know for a fact Tyson started that."  
  
"So what if he did?" Thalia asked. "We also both know for a fact that he is older than you. By at _least_ half a decade."  
  
"So what?" Donnie shrugged. "Thalia, please just let me look at it."  
  
"Fine," Thalia huffed, dragging the first aid box out. "Look away."  
  
"Now's not the time for sarcasm, Thalia."  
  
Sitting down on the bench, Thalia waited patiently as Donnie dug through the box, bringing out antibiotic cream and bandages. Quickly wiping on the cream, he stuck on the bandage. "There. Done."  
  
"Thank you," Thalia replied, shutting the box. "So, I guess this means that I should probably go."  
  
"Kids?" Carroll's voice echoed up the stairs. "Come on, let's move."  
  
"Coming!"   
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
"As of right now, we are maybe a little less than twelve hours behind them." Coulson stood up straight. "Skye?"  
  
"Running any sweeps with security cameras, social media, [credit cards](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45607223#), anything. If it connects to cameras or computers, it's eyes and ears for me."  
  
"FitzSimmons?"  
  
"We have radar checking Asia and Europe for any meteorologic anomalies."  
  
"Good." Coulson nodded. "We're almost there."  
  
"Coulson," Ward entered the lounge. "All ground teams and offices in France have been notified."  
  
"Sir, we're picking up readings in France."  
  
"Which kinds?"  
  
"The kind from Norway."  
  
"Asgardian readings?" Coulson tapped Fitz's [computer](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45607223#) screen. "Not again. We do not need any crap like this right now."  
  
"It's moving quickly," Fitz noted. "Could someone be trading Asgardian artifacts in France?"  
  
"France isn't known for having Asgardian artifacts," Coulson shook his head. "As a matter of fact, Asgardians didn't get anywhere near France."  
  
"The Hub's wanting us to intercept." Ward looked at a tablet. "Accept orders?"  
  
"Yes," Coulson replied, clearly disappointed that they had to go off track in their search.   
  
"Don't worry. If she's with someone like Carroll, at least she's in good hands." Skye shrugged her shoulders. "After all, if she's got a concussion, at least a certified [doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45607223#) is monitoring her."  
  
"I suppose that is something to think about," Coulson replied. "Abbey is a good [doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45607223#). I know if she's with Anna, she's in good hands."  
  
"Then stop worrying." Skye nudged his shoulder. "She'll be okay. Next to the doctor, she's got Donnie. I think she's fine."  
  
"If you think everything's okay, clearly you haven't known her as long as I have."  
  
~*~  
  
As they passed under canopies of trees, the team readied their gear. "So, theory is someone's trading artifacts at this small strip mall," Ward pointed to an outline of a building. "So we're going to intercept."  
  
"Yes, Ward, we know." Skye rolled her eyes. "What am I doing?"  
  
"You're gonna stay in the car, monitor us going in."  
  
"Right, I forgot getting shot makes me stay in the car."  
  
"Just do it." As the car came to a stop outside the mall, Jemma, Fitz, Ward and Coulson got out. "And don't forget to feed the meter."   
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
As Thalia looked around the mall, she realized people weren't staring. _Keep it cool_ , she thought as she passed a Hot Topic. _Hm, Hot Topic in France. Interesting_.  
  
Several stores passed by as she carried shopping bags. Her arms started aching with the [weight](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45607223#).  
  
"So, Thalia, where did the middle name Lorelei come from?"  
  
She pondered Carroll's question. "I think it was my mom's name. She left when I was really little."  
  
"Do you remember much else?"  
  
"No." Thalia scrunched her eyebrows together. "It's actually kind of scary."  
  
"Are you scared you can't remember?"  
  
"Yes," she admitted. "It's actually pretty terrifying. I can't even remember small details, like if I had friends or where I lived."  
  
"Most are lucky if they remember the small things. It's nothing to be scared about."  
  
"All I remember is a cross walk. Was I hit by a car, maybe?"  
  
"Donnie says you hit a bench." Carroll nodded her head backwards, where he was most likely following from a distance. "It should have paralyzed you, but instead, you survived. Somehow, your bones refused to break and broke off a piece of the bench."  
  
Looking down, Carroll surveyed the downstairs. "I see you're tired," she said. "I'll take these to the car, and you can rest."  
  
"Okay." Thalia handed Carroll the bags, and she sat down on a bench, waiting for Donnie. As he sat down next to her, she asked, "So, how's being in public?"  
  
"Not fun."  
  
"I thought after a while, you'd _want_ to go outside."  
  
"Well, this is a lot."  
  
Leaning her head on his shoulder, she yawned. "I'm tired."  
  
"So am I." Donnie wrapped an arm around her back. "All this being out in public is mentally exhausting."  
  
"Now you're just being ridiculous."   
  
"Do you know how bad it was?" Donnie asked.  
  
"Not a clue," Thalia shook her head. "But we're clothing shopping, not interviewing for a [scholarship](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45607223#) to Harvard. Calm down."  
  
As they stood up, ready to head to the car, Donnie thought he saw someone familiar. "Thalia, let's hurry."  
  
"I'm moving."   
  
"No, I think someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here." Donnie urged them forward, running into someone.   
  
"Sorry," the person looked up, their eyes widening at the two of them. "Donnie?"  
  
"Fitz," Donnie could feel the blood drain from his face. "Thalia, go. Now!"  
  
"Ward, they're upstairs!" Fitz shouted, pulling out an ICER gun. Taking a shot, it would have hit Thalia square in the back, but she stopped moving. It froze in midair. "What the bloody hell?"  
  
Flipping the bullet around, everything sped up again. The bullet now started speeding towards Fitz.   
  
"Fitz!"  
  
"Jemma?"   
  
She jumped in front of him, catching it in the stomach. "Jemma!"  
  
"I'm okay, Fitz. It's a vest." Jemma lifted her shirt to reveal a black vest.   
  
"When did you start wearing vests?"  
  
"When we signed on to tracking those two down. Come on, let's go." She took off, chasing after Thalia and Donnie.  
  
On the floor below, Ward was chasing after Donnie, gaining on him with every step. Thalia separated, taking off in a different direction.  
  
"FitzSimmons, you guys take Donnie, I got Anna!"   
  
Now chasing after Anna, Ward was able to catch her easily, cornering her in a dead end. "Anna, calm down."  
  
"Stop chasing me!" She shouted, pushing him back. "I don't know who you are!"  
  
"I'm Agent Ward with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Ward flashed his badge. "You are going to be okay."  
  
"No, I'm not," she replied, backing up against the wall. "You guys put people in danger."  
  
"What happened was an accident," Ward approached her, holding his hands at his sides. "We didn't know it was going to be ambushed."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Thalia fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "Just go away."  
  
"Anna, you need to calm down!"  
  
"Stop!" She covered her face as all the windows shattered around them, making it look like they were inside a glittery snowglobe. "I'm not her!"  
  
As glass flew, Ward covered his face, rushing into the glass. Grabbing a hold of Anna's shoulders, he uncapped a sedative, plunging the needle into her skin.   
  
"Stop!" Anna thrashed as he pushed down on the plunger, distributing the sedative into her bloodstream. "Stop, stop, stop..." she cried weakly as she collapsed into Ward's arms. The glass stopped flying and fell to the floor.   
  
"Coulson, I have Anna. She's sedated." Ward picked up the teenager, cradling her head close to his chest. "Where do I drop her off?"  
  
"Bring her to the food court." Coulson ordered. "FitzSimmons managed to get Donnie cornered in there."  
  
"Yes sir."   
  
Ice started spreading rapidly across the walls. "Um, sir, something tells me they weren't able to keep him in there."  
  
"He's headed your way."  
  
The squeaking of sneakers alerted Ward to Donnie's presence. As soon as he saw Ward, he clenched his fists. "What did you to her?"  
  
"She was hyperventilating." Ward laid Anna down on a bench. "The sedative was the only way to calm her down."  
  
Donnie eyed Thalia's sleeping form. "She's scared," Donnie snarled, "and you put her to sleep like a stray."  
  
"It's not like that, Donnie."  
  
"Really?" He inched closer to the bench. "When she woke up the first time, she was terrified. And right as she starts calming down, you sedate her because she's scared."  
  
"She can stay with you if you come with us."  
  
"I don't buy that." Donnie touched a concrete plant holder, which iced over, spreading towards Ward. "Because the second I agree, you'll do the same thing to me that you did to her. And then you'll send me away, and she'll be even more terrified."  
  
"Why would she be scared?" Ward asked.  
  
"Because you can take one guess as to who she saw when she woke up," Donnie spread his hands out, the ice spreading to the floor. "She woke up and realized that she had discovered a cold, harsh world, and she wanted there to be someone she could endure it with."  
  
"And you think keeping her with you, constantly putting her in danger, was going to make her any less scared?"  
  
"I didn't put her in danger," Donnie replied, watching in awe as the ice completely encased Ward. "You did."  
  
Rushing over to the bench, he scooped Thalia up off the wood, barely making it as the frost covered the bench. Carroll blew through the open doors, taking her out of Donnie's arms.   
  
"We're all exhausted, so I'm gonna cut the crap and get us out."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Stirring, Donnie turned on his side, expecting Thalia to still be passed out, her hair spread out around her head; he also expected the area to be warm. But instead, he felt nothing, and the bed was cold.  
  
Lifting his heavy head, he flipped the switch for the bed light, and it flickered for a few moments before lighting up the bed in a dim glow. She wasn't there. "Thalia?" he called her name, tossing off the heavy blankets and placing his feet on the floor. He stumbled across the floor, squinting to make out dark shapes. "Thalia?"  
  
Stubbing his toes on the step, he climbed to the top, standing in front of the door. Opening the door, he stepped out into the hallway, rubbing his arms. Padding down the hall and down the stairs barefoot, he entered the dining room. A crack of thunder shook the house, and something in the kitchen shattered.   
  
Turning on the dining room lights, he saw the back door open, leaves blown into the house. After shutting the door, he turned on the kitchen lights. Harsh white light reflected off everything; he turned his head away from the light.  
  
Looking into the kitchen, a glass had rolled off the counter, falling and shattering into many pieces. Water pooled on the floor, with traces of blood mixed with the water.   
  
"Thalia?" he said again, and Carroll suddenly appeared, holding a gun.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked edgily, her hand shaking as she pointed the gun at him.  
  
"Carroll, put that monstrosity away," Donnie said annoyingly. "Have you seen Thalia?"  
  
"No," she said, tucking the gun into a sidetable. Peering over the counter, her eyes widened. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, I'm looking for her."  
  
"She was here," Carroll said, gesturing her head to look over the island. When he did, he saw pills scattered on the counter. "Still hazy and looking for painkillers."  
  
"The back door..." Donnie looked to the closed door. "What if she went outside?"  
  
"Get your shoes," Carroll ordered. "Now."  
  
Slipping into his shoes, he grabbed a flashlight and jumped off the back porch, clicking it on and searching the trees.   
  
"Thalia!" he called, his foot falling through a rotting log. Jerking it out, he stumbled backwards, sharp tree branches slicing at his back. He groaned in pain, surging forward. Something fluttered in the tree branches. Shining the flashlight upwards, he felt his stomach twist into knots.   
  
The shirt Thalia was wearing.  
  
Yanking it from the tree, it was in tatters, the torso shredded. Most likely from the tree. Shining his flashlight around the woods, he noticed disturbed plants. Slowly approaching them, he pushed them aside. Thalia was unconscious, her shoe hooked over an odd bump in the ground. Small twigs and leaves were tangled in her hair, and her bra strap hung off her shoulder. In her hand she clutched a flickering flashlight.  
  
"Thalia," he whispered, falling to the ground at her side. Turning her onto her back, he tossed her hair from her face. Inspecting her features, her lip was cut, blood oozing from inside her mouth. His hands worked quickly, checking her for any broken bones or bruises. As his fingers prodded at each rib, a patch of pale skin caught his eye. Four patches, same distance from each other, dotted her chest, running horizontal.  
  
"Donnie?" Carroll called him, her beam of light dancing across the trees above his head. "Where are you?"  
  
"Over here," he replied, and Carroll stomped through the woods, getting closer and closer. She stood over him, her fingers on his shoulder.  
  
"You're bleeding."  
  
"It doesn't hurt," he muttered. Shining his light on Thalia's torso, the four patches of skin showed up. "What are these?"  
  
"Scars," Carroll answered, bewildered. Reaching to touch, her fingers spread out, the tips touching each scar. "These look like impalement scars."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"It means these scars show that something bad happened Before." Carroll noticed Thalia began shivering. Shrugging off her robe, she slipped her arms through, tying the sash around Thalia's waist. "Can you carry her?"  
  
Nodding, Donnie scooped her up into his arms, and the skin across his back pulled uncomfortably. She began to stir. "No, I'm coming, wait for me..."  
  
"Was someone leading her outside?"  
  
"She's delusional," Carroll dismissed him. "And she could get sick if she's outside any longer." She turned back to the house. "Let's go."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~   
  
Skye dug through Anna's suitcases, bringing out all the clothes, toiletries, and other miscellaneous items. One of which was a folder of papers.   
  
Opening it, she started leafing through the papers, finding many to be very confusing. Letters, numbers, and other notes littered the pages.   
  
"What is that?"  
  
Skye looked up to see Jemma in the dooorway, trying to peer at the pages. "I honestly have no clue," Skye replied earnestly, holding the folder out to the biochemist. "Lots of the little notes are rambling on about genetics."  
  
"Let me see." Jemma took the file from her, her eyes growing wider and wider as she read on.   
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
"Fitz!" Jemma took off to the lab, carrying the file close to her chest. "Fitz!"  
  
"Jemma?" Fitz poked his head out the lab doors. "Jemma, what's wrong?"  
  
"Anna had this in her suitcase," Jemma replied, holding out the file. "Look what's in it."  
  
As Fitz opened the folder, he nearly dropped it. Rushing inside the lab, he spread out the papers. "It all seems to be dated. Earliest papers date back to... our visit to the Academy?"  
  
"Simmons, are you gonna tell me what the hell that was?" Skye stormed into the lab, her eyes drifting to the spread out papers. "What are those?"  
  
"We don't know," Fitz ran a hand through his hair. "Half of it's reports from things as far back as the visit to SciTech, and the other half is bunches of gibberish. Neither of us has a clue."  
  
"A nineteen year old one-upped _you two_?" Skye picked a sheet of grid paper, writing down some of the gibberish in each small box. Pulling out her phone, she began typing. "She is so far ahead of us, when we catch up, she puts herself behind us."  
  
Satisfied with her typing, she began rewriting the gibberish, it now becoming off hand notes. "How did you do that?"  
  
"When she puts herself behind us, she goes so far back she uses elementary-level encryption." The two scientists looked at her blankly. "She used a Caesar cipher."  
  
"Wow," Fitz replied, suddenly turning beet red. "I--"  
  
"Don't even." Skye held up a hand. "I got it all decoded now. 'Power seems to be too strong for people. It splits everything in half, leaving a gap between the person and the power. Here, someone else could administer a poison, a drug or a medicine, and it seems to eat both halves alive.'"  
  
Jemma raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"  
  
"I think it means when people today are showing up with new powers, it creates a rift between the person and the power." Skye poked the page. "It speaks of the super soldier serum. Since people have tweaked it so much, since no one has the original formula, today's versions create two seperate people: Bob and Bob's Power. But since they're not joined together, they both stand the chance of being poisoned, drugged or cured out of their powers."  
  
Jemma frowned. "But how?"  
  
"It doesn't explain how. It explains that since no one has a solid foundation, the new serums build shaky towers that can easily be destroyed."  
  
"Then why is that grouped with the Academy reports?" Fitz scanned the papers again. Skye shrugged.  
  
"Here's another one. 'People have markers. Markers in their DNA that indicate whether they could recieve powers. Markers in Donnie's and Seth's samples indicate that Donnie could be capable of recieving powers.'"  
  
"Anna knew?" Jemma looked to Fitz in shock. "She knew that this would happen?"  
  
"I think so," Skye replied, going through the research. "There's all kinds of weird things in here."  
  
"Why don't we look through the file, see what we can figure out?"   
  
"Have at it," Skye replied, sliding the papers over. Standing up, she squinted at the papers. "What does multiple personality disorder have to do with the super soldier serum?"  
  
"I don't know." Jemma shrugged. Skye was actually dismayed that Jemma didn't know for once. Because if they didn't know about something, it was most likely to be dangerous. Very dangerous.

~G.A.M.E.~

As her head swam, a large drilling noise pounded through the side of her skull. Turning over, it just got louder.

"Ugh," Thalia groaned as she threw a pillow over her head. "Turn it down!"

"Somebody's finally up." Donnie turned off his drill as she peeked out from under the heavy blankets and pillows.

"What is with the god awful racket?"

"Me, working."

"Well, could you take a break?" Thalia asked, her voice muffled by the bed. "I have a pounding headache."

"Fine." Donnie sat at the foot of the bed. "How do you feel?"

"I'm achy and tired."

"Well, you were running a fever this morning."

"From what?"

"Most likely the sedative." Donnie gave her an annoyed look. "You know, I'm an engineer, not a [doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45920921#). I can't diagnose everything."

"I'm _aware_." Thalia sat up, weighed down by the blankets. "Everything just hurts."

"Do you remember having a profession?"

Thalia was thrown off by the off the wall question. "Um, genetics, I think. The last project I remember working on was a [targeted](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=45920921#) poison. Would only activate in the presence of a certain DNA sequence."

"Specific biological weapons?" Donnie asked, wide eyed. "Stuff like that is _years_ away. At least another decade. Not even Agents Fitz and Simmons did stuff like that."

"Well, it appealed to me."

"Futuristic weapons _appeal_ to you?"

"No, the idea, not the usage of it. If you had an sample of a killer's blood or skin, then the DNA could be inserted into the drug or poison and take down only the person who it was designed for." Thalia pulled the covers off. "And I'm not Agents Fitz and Simmons; I'm not S.H.I.E.L.D., I'm me."

"Well, that's good to know." Donnie half smiled. "I need to get back to work."

As he stood up and turned around to face the work bench, Thalia thought she saw bandages under his shirt. "Donnie, what happened to you?"

"What?" He looked over his shoulder. "Oh, nothing. Just got banged up while working."

"Donnie..."

"Thalia, it's nothing." Donnie held out his hands as a gesture to try and calm her down.

"Donnie, you know I won't buy that for a second," Thalia retorted, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds. She began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Thalia, what are you doing--"

"I'm getting my answers," she replied, pulling his shirt off his shoulders and tossing it to the bed. Gripping the edge of the tape, she yanked it away.

"Ow! What the hell, Thalia?"

She stared at the long scratches on his back. "Donnie, what did this?"

"I was working on one of my projects," Donnie bit out. "The bench hit one of the tools and it fell on me."

"That's a lie and we both know it." Thalia's fingers shook as her fingertips brushed across the red scratches. "What _really_ happened?"

"I-I can't really explain," Donnie stammered. "It was a big blur..."

"Donnie!"

"Fine!" He snapped. "I woke up this morning and you were gone. We went looking for you and found you half naked and passed out in the woods. You were delusional. My back got scratched by some pretty thick and sharp tree branches."

Several minutes of silence passed between the two of them.

"Well then thank you," Thalia managed to look him in the eyes saying this. "For protecting me from myself." She turned around, leaving the room.

Donnie looked at her retreating back. Somehow, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He wanted to go and comfort her, but she seemed content with dropping the subject. But instead, he stomped it down, and let her walk away.

After all, she'd come back. She always did. They were a team.

~*~

Thalia sat at the counter, pushing cereal around the inside of her bowl. She tried to remember what _exactly_ happened. And every attempt was met with nothing. She couldn't remember a thing.

She accidentally electrocuted the trash can. Setting the can down, she put her bowl in the sink. And then, trying to forget the whole incident, she went back upstairs.

Opening the door to the room/lab, she was quite surprised to not hear any "working" noises coming from the room. Entering suspiciously, she glanced around the room, not seeing or hearing anything usual, which was officially unusual.

Approaching the workbench, she saw specs laid out for a new something. That's probably what Donnie was working on. It looked like some kind of spear.

A note was attached to the specs. _Have Thalia chemically treat the blade to model specifications_.

Picking up a schematic, she saw the intricately curved metal blade laid out. As she saw the design, she ran her thumb over the outline of the blade, imagining its every beautiful and wicked curve, the insanely sharp edges, and the overall deadliness of the whole thing.

A soft _clang_ sounded from behind her. When she turned around, the blade had been cut out, gleaming under the workbench lights. She wanted to run her hand over it, wanting to feel the wicked edges.

_No._

She pulled her hand away. Instead, she examined the rest of the items on the table. Small projects, mostly, but nothing really piqued interest.

Leaving the room, she headed downstairs to the living room, where Carroll was reading a book.

"Thalia."

"Hi, Miss Carroll." Thalia looked at the bookshelf, taking a book off at random and sitting down to read. "Where's Donnie?"

"Went outside." Carroll flipped a page lazily. "Said he needed some fresh air."

"Could I go outside?"

"Not now," Carroll answered, shutting her book and adding it to a stack. "It's still too bright outside, and I don't know if the sunlight's going to have an adverse effect on you."

"But--"

"Thalia, the damage from your concussion was so severe you _forgot how to breathe_. That, in itself, is a big deal." Carroll flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "No."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Actually, a few of my colleagues are intrigued with you. They found it quite mystifying how you survived the impact. Would you like to join me tonight when I go to my conference?"

"Sure." Thalia shut her book. "How should it go?"

"Well, I'll need to notify the people that I'll be bringing a guest. They'll ask you questions when you get there. But you'll need to let me answer them."

Thalia nodded. "And you'll need to look different. Incredibly different. Because if I'm correct, S.H.I.E.L.D. will be there, meaning you cannot, under any circumstances, be recognized. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Carroll."

"Good," Carroll stood up. "In that case, let's get you ready."

~G.A.M.E.~

Jemma stuck a thermometer into Ward's mouth and prepared a needle to draw blood. Uncapping her hypodermic needle, she asked, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Everything is freezing cold." Ward wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. "He froze me into an ice cube."

"Well, in retrospect, you did sedate someone he does have a huge crush on," Skye muttered, playing Scopa. "Which raises the question. Why did Donnie keep referring to her as Thalia?"

"Because Anna's research was on the disappearance of Thalia Lorelei Quinn," Coulson entered the room. "She slipped off our radar when she was abducted after a house fire."

"Sounds pretty morbid." Skye clicked her cards and shouted "Scopa!", which earned stares from everyone in the room. "Sorry. Why would she be researching a Registered Gifted that fell off the radar over a decade ago?"

"Speculation." Coulson crossed his arms. "She stumbled onto Thalia's dead sister's birth certificate. Did a little digging, and began her own project."

"Anna's a Registered Gifted too, correct?"

"Yes," Ward replied, shivering.

"Then why the interest?"

"Anna was the victim of several of Thalia's specific poisons. Well, some of them."

"Specific biological weapons?" Fitz looked up from his station. "That's years ahead of us. What would Thalia be doing messing around with stuff like that?"

"Even though Thalia was very young, she actually was incredibly gifted with biochemistry and genetics." Coulson shook his head. "She first showed up on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar when she administered a poison in her school's food that sent a kid named Daniel Hearthrow to the hospital. Everyone in the school ate the food, but it only activated when he ate it."

Skye, Fitz and Jemma looked at Coulson in horror. "What did he do to deserve that?"

"He hit her because she tattled on him to the teacher over cheating. I think after that, she won their grudge match." Coulson smiled. "She was a very intelligent individual."

"Clearly. She started a bio-terrorist attack on _one_ kid because he hit her."

"Personally, I like her. She didn't take it like a bitch. Instead, she got her sweet revenge." Everyone looked to Skye. "What? Who doesn't want to say she got him good by saying 'the proof is in the pudding'?"

"I think that's actually how she administered it." Coulson laughed. "The proof is in the pudding, that's genius."

"Anytime, A.C." Skye clicked on her computer. "Hey, Carroll just called a conference she's attending, she said she's bringing a guest."

"Who?"

"It doesn't say, but a good guess says it's Anna," Skye clicked the mouse again. "Or Thalia. Whichever person she decides to be tonight."

"Joking about a concussion is not a joking matter," Jemma scolded Skye. "Anna cannot help thinking she's Thalia. Concussions tend to have people develop different personalities with their new identities."

"Wait. That's it!" Skye jumped up, grabbing Anna's folder. "It makes sense now. Multiple personality disorder is when a person develops multiple personalitites. What if MPD is the reason why today's new super soldier serums don't work?" Skye pointed to the notes she decoded. "Bob and Bob's Power are two completely different people. MPD."

"That's it," Jemma said in awe. "The reason why it didn't work. Multiple Personality Disorder is caused when rifts are created in a person's brain because of traumatic events. Like recieving super powers." Jemma turned pale. "And another person is formed. A seperate personality."

"Which means--"

"Anna discovered the secret to Erskine's original formula," Coulson could feel his heart slowing down exponentially. "The drug that treats multiple personality disorder is the key to the original formula. The drug, combined with the formula, prevents the multiple personalities from setting in, and successfully bonds the power to the person without creating a seperate personality."

~*~

Carroll sat down Thalia at her vanity, surveying her dark hair. "Now a hairstyle..."

"Miss Carroll, haven't you done enough?" Thalia asked. "I don'

"Thalia, you don't have to speak." Carroll grabbed a hairbrush. "You just have to dazzle. And with that dress and makeup, you'll be doing plenty of that."

Closing her eyes, Thalia sat stone still as Carroll yanked her hair in different directions, blasting her with hairspray. As soon as Carroll was done, she stood Thalia up, looking at her in awe. "And I'm done. But come on, let's go. We're running late."

Jerking Thalia out of her room, Carroll dragged the two of them to the car, being sure to put Thalia behind tinted windows. Turning the car on, they sped out of the driveway, heading into the city. As the conference building came up, Thalia stared in awe. The bright lights against the dark sky had an almost magical effect.

"We're here," Carroll said quietly. "Remember what I said."

As the valet opened the door, Thalia climbed out of the car, her feet surprisingly stable with the height difference between the car and the curb. And in high heels too.

"Come on," Carroll led Thalia up the stairs, reminding her to grab the fabric of the dress so she wouldn't trip. When they made it to the top of the stairs, the two were greeted by a pair of open doors.

"Well," Thalia drew the fabric out behind her, causing it to flutter in the wind. "Here we go."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Feed of the conference?"

"Easy," Skye waved a hand, clicking a few keys. "It's playing now."

Crowding around the computer, the team watched as the video panned out. "Doctor Carroll and her guest have arrived!" An announcer said.

As Doctor Carroll stepped through the door, greeting people as she walked, Anna followed in behind her. Jaws across the room dropped.

She looked like a dark Barbie, with her shin high boots and her black lace dress coat, fluttering out behind her to show a skintight black dress underneath.

"What happened to her?"

"I think she looks badass," Skye pointed out. "I mean, not a lot of people can pull that kind of look off, but she does it beautifully."

Blue eyes scanned the room as she followed behind Carroll, taking a seat next to her at their table. Several scientists eyed Anna with eyes full of shock.

"What happened to her eyes?"

"Coulson, relax. It's contacts."

As the conference droned on, the team watched in disappointment. People did presentations, ate and talked. Some people ventured to the table Anna sat at, but they said little and returned to their tables.

"Why is she not saying anything?"

"Probably because Carroll knows it's being recorded." Skye checked her settings. "Visual and audio."

"Or maybe because S.H.I.E.L.D. is there and she's worried that the scientists will recognize her voice," Ward suggested.

"Hush, Carroll's presenting."

"Scientists, we have witnessed a miracle," Carroll said, speaking loud so that people in the back could hear. "A few weeks ago, I was approached by a man to save a young girl's life. She had split the back of her head open on a metal bench. As my partner and I, Doctor Peter Byrd, began surgery on this woman's neck, we noticed something. A very odd occurance. The bench had done such extensive damage it should have pierced her brain stem, paralyzing this woman from the neck down. Instead, her bones were so resistant, a piece of the bench was broken off."

Scientists gasped in awe and horror. "The piece of course, had been removed. But we were concerned, because her bone's cellular structure. How did they manage to resist breaking or shattering upon impact?" Carroll cleared her throat. "Our first suspicions were she was part of the new super soldier programs, but nobody has submitted studies of women being experimented on. Another was she was somehow chemically enhanced. We were partially right on our second theory. She had recieved chemical enhancements from Oscorp."

A few people turned to a red haired scientist and glared. "But underneath, her bones could have taken the impact of the blow anyways."

Coulson paled. "We also discovered that a similar impact had happened years earlier. Nobody could survive impacts of those magnitudes more than once. So how did she?" The camera panned out again. "Could you come up to the stage?"

Standing up, Anna weaved between tables to the stage, joining Carroll. "Our theory, that is still withstanding, is that she is not fully human. A half-breed of another species, unknown at this time, capable of immense things. Her bone's cellular structure indicates that they might be invulnerable to breaking, shattering, or even fractures, micro and hairline." Carroll beamed. "A demigod."

Gasps echoed in the microphone. The team gasped in shock. "As further research is done, I will keep you updated. That is all."

And with a smile, Carroll and Anna left the stage, and the screen faded to black.

"So Anna is half Asgardian," Jemma said in shock, blinking a few times. "Everything she said was true."

"I called it," Coulson replied. "I told her you were a hardhead that would eventually come around."

"Now that we know she's half Asgardian, we need to determine of what lineage." Ward nodded. "Lady Sif perhaps? It would explain the black hair and bone structure in her face."

"No, Lady Sif does not have any children. She would have asked about Anna when she was here." Coulson shook his head. "I'm thinking Lorelei. After all, Thalia's small file said her middle name was to remind her of her mother."

"You're gambling with serious odds, Coulson." May shot a look in his direction.

"And we see how well that turned out the first time." He gently tapped the computer with his knuckles. "She's half Asgardian. I'm on a roll here, May."

"Well, gambling with lineage is like searching for the needle in a haystack."

"I've already found one." Coulson smiled. "See what I did there?"

"We don't even know if her mother or father was Asgardian," Ward complained.

"Mother, most likely." Skye shut the laptop. "That's my guess."

"Simmons, I have an idea. See if you can swab any blood from the interrogation room for Quinn's DNA. Run it against Thalia and Anna."

"You think that he could be her father?"

"It's possible. Thalia's father was a scientist who dropped off the grid when she was abducted." Coulson stood up, straightening his jacket. "Now, we have work to do."

~*~

Stepping out of the car, Thalia wobbled slightly. "These shoes are uncomfortable."

"Well, you can take them off now."

Unzipping them, she handed the shoes to Carroll, running up the steps to the door. The knob turned from the other side, and the door opened, revealing Donnie, looking incredibly worried.

"Where did you go?"

"Miss Carroll brought me to one of the conferences." Thalia stepped past him into the house. "It was incredibly boring."

"You could of at least told me."

"Donnie, she's fine." Carroll rolled her eyes. "Now get to bed."

As lights went out, Thalia dragged herself upstairs to the bathroom, unbuttoning the coat and tossing it over the railing.

Shutting the bathroom door behind her, Thalia peeled the dress off her body, shucking it under the counter. After removing the makeup and contacts, she jumped in the shower, washing the sweat and itchiness from her body.

"Thalia?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you go?"

"Because I needed to get outside, Donnie." Thalia pulled the shower curtain aside, poking her head out. "After being cooped up inside hospital rooms and labs and fancy houses and motel rooms, I needed to get out."

Shutting the water off, she grabbed her towel from the hanger. "Don't tell me you wouldn't feel the same way."

"I'm not, it's just--" Donnie sat on the counter, forming claws with his hands when he couldn't get his words out. "I'm worried about you, Thalia."

"Oh, yes, incredibly worried. So worried, in fact, you feel the need to come into the bathroom while I am without clothes to express your frustration." Thalia knotted the towel, wringing out her hair. "I totally get that."

"Thalia..."

"I think we have a system worked out," Thalia said quickly as she slid behind the linen closet door and put on her underwear. "When you piss me off, it's because you don't tell me when you get hurt. And then you get pissed at me when I'm sarcastic. Am I right?"

"Quit changing the topic, Thalia."

"I'm not, just making an observation." Thalia shrugged her shoulders. "Another observation? If you keep bottling yourself up, one day, you're gonna combust, and it's gonna be a big mess for everyone to clean up. So to answer your question, I'm worried about you too. You can't shut people out all the time. Especially people that care about you."

Donnie scowled. "You're going to end up driving me crazy, Thalia."

Thalia smiled playfully. "If you wanna lose your mind, come and get it."

"Fine, I will," Donnie replied, jumping off the counter and leaving the bathroom.

Rolling her eyes, Thalia muttered "Boys", pulling her t-shirt over head as she dried her hair. Washing her face a second time, she put on a pair of pajama pants and padded into Donnie's room.

"Hey, Donnie, what about the notes on the specs for the spear I saw?" Thalia walked in, stopping when Donnie dragged out the first aid box. "What's wrong?"

"The scratches, they're bothering me."

"Well, let me look."

Without complaining, Donnie sat down on the bench, letting Thalia look at his back. As she cleaned the gashes, he hung his head, gritting his teeth. As she applied something that stung, he inhaled sharply.

"Sorry." She pressed gauze pads to his skin, taping them down. "Just cleaning them." Putting the supplies back inside the box, Thalia checked her handiwork again. "Done."

She said it so softly that he almost didn't hear her. Tucking the box back into its proper place, Donnie sat for a few lingering moments, the stinging in his back fading.

"Thalia."

"Hm?"

"Why do you not get embarrassed?"

"Over these?" She ran her fingers over the newly bandaged scratches. "Because there's nothing worth getting embarrassed over. It happened, I get it. But it doesn't get to me because why should I be ashamed of something that happened that I cannot remember?"

"I suppose it makes sense."

Thalia began pulling her hair up into a messy bun. "It's just something you do when you hit your head. You get all philosophical."

He laughed quietly. Standing up, Donnie took the hairband out of her hands, gently pulling her hair back. As the hair band snapped into place, he pulled his fingers out, causing a few strands to follow.

Sweeping hair away, he checked the back of her neck again. The skin had now completely blended. "How is it?"

"Perfectly fine." Donnie dropped her hair. "All healed up."

"Good," Thalia replied. "I'm off to bed."

"You sure?" Donnie checked the clock on the wall. "It's only nine."

"I was not trained to stay awake and run on fumes," Thalia snapped. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

"Fine." He handed Thalia a pair of headphones. "So you can sleep."

"I can sleep without them." Thalia shook her head. "Goodnight, Donnie."

When she fell asleep, Donnie meandered around the worktable, just toying with several of his small projects. Then, after giving up, he went to bed, staring at the ceiling.

He looked around the room. Lights blinked back, reminding him of stars. Technicolored stars.

Getting up, Donnie left the room, heading downstairs past the kitchen to the back porch. standing on the cold wood with bare feet, he looked up to the sky. Small stars blinked and twinkled in the inky sky.

"Donnie, why are you outside?" He turned around to see Thalia, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. "It's freezing."

"The cold doesn't bother me."

"Clearly," She scoffed. "It's cold."

"Come here," Donnie notioned to the railing. Shuffling to the porch railing, Thalia gazed at the sky, her eyes darting back and forth to look at all the stars.

"That's so beautiful." Thalia gave a small smile. "It truly is."

"What do you think of the whole aliens in New York thing going on?"

"I think it's quite intriguing." Thalia continued to stare at the sky. "All of their technology, their species. Imagine what it would be like to study them." She gasped. "What if they brought new illnesses or technology?"

"It's entirely possible," Donnie replied. "Agent Jemma Simmons actually contracted a Chitauri virus."

"Really?" Thalia looked at him with concern. "What was it like?"

"It altered molecular density in the host when they died." Donnie said. "But this was noted from the other victims. Um, generated electromagnetic fields, which made anything with metal in it start to float."

"That's amazing," Thalia breathed. "And nobody survived this?"

"Well, nobody except Agent Simmons." Donnie leaned onto the railing. "She and Agent Fitz created antibodies to fight it off."

Thalia rubbed her arms. Donnie wrapped his arms around her covered shoulders. "You need to get inside," he whispered in her ear. "It's freezing cold."

"Nighttime is the only time I'm allowed outside," Thalia whispered back. "If you're gonna try and take that away from me, you're setting yourself up for trouble."

"Like what?"

"I can think up lots of things," Thalia whispered, a smirk on her face.

"And the nature of such things?"

"And there goes the overthinking again," Thalia replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm going inside."

Shutting the door behind her, Donnie stayed outside, looking up at the sky. He didn't pay attention to how the railing didn't frost when he touched it. Instead, he thought of Thalia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback!


	7. The Broken Tend To Fix Each Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, I feel so bad. I try and update on Friday, but I have run into some horrible roadblocks that were thankfully resolved.

Coulson sat behind his desk, staring down at his feed of the lab. Simmons moved with efficiency, running samples from place to place quickly. Fitz worked on Anna's research papers, writing complex formulas that only the two of them would probably ever see.  
  
"Damn, she's articulate," Fitz cursed quietly, erasing and rewriting a long string of numbers, letters, and symbols. "You'd think with a teenager she'd forget something. But  _no_."  
  
"What's wrong, Fitz?" Simmons, who had been taking notes on a clipboard, looked up and asked him.  
  
"She includes  _everything_ ," Fitz complained. "Anna has kept files on all her experiments with this stuff. But she must have another folder with the descriptions of each experiment and little change, because I can't find a thing describing the experiments."  
  
"The question is why is SciTech included?" Simmons turned back to her testing. "Why all the mask and mystery?"  
  
"Hey, guys," Skye entered the lab with her laptop. "So I was [CHECKING](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=46351905#) all of her data, and it says she keeps tabs on different experiments she's running through different flash drives and memory cards. But here's the thing," Skye took Anna's phone and started scrolling through the flash drive list. "Each one has a weird name. For example, Versace."  
  
"Name brands?" Simmons scrolled through the long list. "Why would she do that?"  
  
"I don't know."   
  
"Did you try looking in her clothing?" Fitz asked. "If she has things with those names, they could give us a clue."  
  
"On it." Skye ran up the stairs, and came back a few minutes later, holding a jeweled necklace. "Okay, so the only thing I found that relates to it was this. Designed by Versace, matches Anna's absolutely  _beautiful_  Jimmy Choo shoes--"  
  
Fitz cleared his throat. "Anyway, here. Have at it."  
  
Taking the incredibly heavy necklace, Fitz picked up a scanner, running it over the necklace. It beeped several times over the biggest part. "Here we go," he muttered, picking apart the necklace. Seperating the gems from the chain, he was pleasantly surprised when a mini flash drive broke off a big gem. "Ah, here we go."  
  
"That's new."  
  
Fitz picked up the drive. "I haven't seen designs like this anywhere. Anna must have made this herself."  
  
Jemma squinted at the mini drive. "Anna just  _knows_  how to make stuff like flash drives in designer necklaces?"  
  
"Anna's a huge fashion buff," Skye answered. "I scrolled through her photo albums, and she's got pictures of literally everything she wears. Even underwear."  
  
Fitz's ears burned red. "I did not need to know that."  
  
"But it makes sense. She's also tagged a bunch of jewelry. And upon further inspection, the tagged jewelry has everything from cameras to wires to memory cards to like there, flash drives, somewhere on or in it."  
  
"Seeing this makes me wonder if she went to Operations at one point."  
  
"Do what?" Ward entered the lab.  
  
"We're wondering if Anna was ever in Operations at one point," Skye filled him in. "She's bugged all of her jewelry with cameras, listening devices, flash drives."  
  
"None of the professors at Operations do this," Ward said, examining the gem drive. "I've never seen anything like this before."  
  
"What does this mean?"  
  
Coulson furrowed his brows. They were right.  _What did it mean?  
  
_ ~*~  
  
Sitting downstairs eating breakfast, Donnie slowly chewed his cereal as Thalia went through the fridge. "Donnie, did you leave the empty milk carton in the fridge  _again_?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Well, then care to explain--" She held up the empty milk carton as someone knocked on the door. "I got it."  
  
Padding to the front door, she opened it and a look of pure shock molded to her face. "Mister Quinn?"  
  
"Thalia," Quinn entered the house, following her back to the kitchen. Donnie sputtered on his cereal as the man entered the room. "I see we've settled in."  
  
"Yes," Thalia replied uneasily. "We have."  
  
"Thalia, I see you've healed up quite nicely," Quinn said happily, brushing her hair off the back of her neck. A man came up behind Donnie and clamped his hands over his ears as Quinn produced a small machine, flicking it on. A high-pitched buzzing filled the room, and Thalia went deathly pale, the veins under her skin becoming prominent as she sagged against Quinn's frame. Donnie struggled to break out of the man's grip as Quinn held Thalia's head, looking into her eyes with pity. "Now, Donnie, I thought we had an agreement."  
  
Zipties had been [SECURED](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=46351905#) around his wrists, anchoring him to the chair. "We had the agreement that you would build what I had asked in exchange that she can stay with you," Quinn said matter-of-factly as she began gasping. "Breathe, sweetheart, breathe."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Just a short term paralyzer," Quinn answered. "It's very effective, actually."  
  
Lowering Thalia to the floor, Quinn looked back to Donnie. "I'm quite surprised, Donnie. Have you grown a  _soft spot_ for her?" He laughed, letting Donnie look to Thalia, who with glazed over eyes stared upward. "It's quite sad to watch."  
  
Freezing the zipties, Donnie broke out of the chair, rounding the corner of the counter as Quinn pointed a gun directly at her. "Now, you see, I knew that'd be your reaction." Quinn pushed the trigger just a fraction, causing Donnie's heart rate to jump. "Because you have grown soft, you aren't getting your work done. You've fallen a week behind."  
  
"Mister Quinn, I--"  
  
"Don't give me your excuses, Donnie." Quinn shook his head. "How did you get out of the zipties, anyway?"  
  
"I--"  
  
"Nevermind," Quinn replied. "Gentlemen, take Miss Thalia to the lab and make sure that Donnie finishes making the weapon before tonight."  
  
"Yes sir," the gentlemen approached her still form, handling her like a china doll as they carried her away. Her eyes bore holes into the ceiling above them.  
  
"Now, Donnie," Quinn put a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're going through. She is a very pretty girl, and at eighteen, she has degrees in biochemistry and genetics. And you, eighteen, [DEGREE IN](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=46351905#) engineering. I know that it would be difficult, trying to build a weapon and care for her at the same time, you're going to fall behind. But we still have a deal. If it's not finished by tonight, I'm taking her with me back to the U.S. Is that understood, Donnie?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Well, then I'd get moving. Because deadline is eight p.m., and it's almost ten in the morning."  
  
Rushing upstairs, Donnie pulled out his specs on it. But sitting on top of them was the fully finished spear.   
  
"It's finished?" he ran a hand across the blade, noticing how clean and sharp it was. Melded to the shaft perfectly, Quinn came in and smiled.  
  
"So it's finished?" Quinn picked it up, [BALANCING](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=46351905#) it in his hand. "Good."  
  
"But I didn't do any of this," Donnie replied, running his hands across the blade. "It must have been somebody else."  
  
Quinn smiled. "Thalia." He ran a finger along the melding points. "You can tell by the straight lines melding it together." He held the spear like a staff. "Gentlemen, we have what we need. Let's go."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The men approached the staff with gloved hands, carrying the staff to the car outside. "Carroll is going to stay with you guys until I call you again."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"And next time, Donnie," Quinn said, holding the small paralyzing machine his hand. "I'm not gonna be so forgiving about it."  
  
After he left the house, Donnie let out a huge sigh.   
  
"What was that?" Thalia asked him, rubbing her temples.   
  
"I don't know," Donnie answered, sitting down at the foot of the bed. "You okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," Thalia answered. "My ears are ringing like the bells of hell, though."  
  
"Nothing else?"  
  
"No," Thalia replied, flopping down onto her back at the foot of the bed. "I figured. What did he say about you having a soft spot?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You didn't  _act_ like it was nothing." Thalia pulled herself up into a sitting position. Leaning on his shoulder, she looked at him. "So why are you lying to me?"  
  
"He was trying to scare me," Donnie admitted. "When you first showed up, he said they found a S.H.I.E.L.D. wire on you. And he said if I didn't make his spear, he would have you put to sleep."  
  
"Did you ever figure out if what he said was true?"  
  
Donnie shook his head. "No. I've been too busy."  
  
"Well, you're not anymore, so..."  
  
"And we're in France. The stuff would have to be in America still."  
  
"Such a shame," Thalia twined her fingers with Donnie's. He squeezed her hand.  
  
"Not really."  
  
"No," Thalia said quietly. "It really isn't."  
  
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "I feel broken."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because someone bent me over backwards just because I have feelings."   
  
She seemed to ponder her response. "The broken always tend to fix each other."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's their nature." Thalia sighed. "The broken tend to repair a piece of another's view. I learned from you that there are people who'll do anything for each other." She bumped her shoulder against his. "We have each other's backs."  
  
"Yeah," Donnie said absentmindedly. "We do."  
  
_But we have much more than that, too.  
  
_ ~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Strolling through the woods, Thalia stepped over rotting logs, darted between trees, and ducked under low branches. "Thalia, will you slow down?"  
  
"We're almost there!" She replied. "I saw one of the weirdest things while walking the other day. Something in the middle of a meadow."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes!" She stood at the [BANK](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=46351905#) of a small pond. "There was this bright blue light, and some kind of big explosion!"  
  
"Thalia, what were you doing all the way out here?"  
  
"Remember, I walk when I'm bored, then if I find something interesting, I come and get you." She charged through the pond, splashing water. "Remember that really weird machine I brought to you? I found it in this same meadow."  
  
Entering the clearing, clouds hung overhead. "Usually I don't find things here, but I love being here. It's quiet, secluded, and a safe distance away from the house."  
  
"I have to hand it to you," Donnie nodded. "It's nice." He set down the blanket, draping it across the grass. "So, are you hungry?"  
  
"Yes, I'm starving," Thalia fell to her knees on the blanket, digging her sandwich out of the bag. Then she ripped off the plastic, taking a huge bite.   
  
"Someone's hungry."  
  
"Yes, I know, you just pointed that out," Thalia said, covering her mouth when a glob of jelly slipped out. She licked it off her hand.  
  
"Looks like it's gonna storm."  
  
"Really?" She looked up to the sky. "It's cloudy."  
  
"Which means it might rain." Donnie pulled a pickle out of his sandwich. "Thalia, you know I don't like pickles."  
  
"I just find it odd how you eat pickle flavored potato chips, then get grumpy with me when I put pickle  _chips_  in your sandwich."  
  
"And I find it odd how you eat Reese's cups like crazy, yet you  _went_  crazy when I tried putting Nutella in  _your_  sandwich."  
  
"Oh hush," Thalia scrunched her nose, taking the pickle from his hand and eating it. "There is no shame in pickle eating."  
  
Donnie brought a small jar of Nutella from the bag, along with a spoon. "Then there's no shame in eating this."  
  
"Donnie, don't you dare!" Thalia said, putting her sandwich down and attempting to take the spoon from him. "That is a vile habit!"  
  
"So are pickles." Donnie held the spoon out of her reach, watching her stretch her arms to catch his hand. Her nails clamped around his wrist, dragging his arm down. "Ow! Thalia, stop that!"  
  
"I got the spoon!" she declared happily, tossing it back into the bag. "Take that!"  
  
"You are terrible."  
  
"And you are horrendous."  
  
"That's harsh," Donnie held his hand to his chest, faking being wounded. "My ego is bruised."  
  
"Get used to it." Thalia took his hand, examining the scratches. "Man, two times and you still haven't learned?"  
  
"You did that on purpose."  
  
"Then I need to cut my nails," Thalia noted, "and you need to quit antagonizing me."  
  
"Me?" Donnie asked incredulously, a smile on his face. "What have I done to antagonize you?"  
  
"First time around you were attacked by a tree." Thalia mocked him mercilessly. "And second time around, you were about to start eating Nutella _from the jar_..."  
  
"Anyone who doesn't do that is weird." Donnie mocked her back. "Which is more than I can say for you."  
  
She gasped. "You would say that to your only girlfriend?" Donnie went into a state of panic. "Friend who's a girl, Donnie. Yeesh, you scientist types are so reclusive."  
  
"It's not my fault I don't talk to people under an I.Q. of 170."  
  
"So you're calling me smart now?" Thalia smiled shyly. "How nice."  
  
Thunder sent a shiver down her spine. "So it is gonna rain." She picked up the blanket and the bag. "Come on, let's go."  
  
Standing up, Donnie followed Thalia into the woods back to the house. As they stepped up onto the back porch, rain fell from the sky. "Well, would you look at that."  
  
"Shut up, Donnie."  
  
"All it takes is a little push," Donnie bumped her shoulder. "And you'll be a hundred pounds soaking wet."  
  
"And you'll be one fifty."  
  
"You asked for it." Donnie pushed her off the porch and into the pouring rain. She was soaked instantly.   
  
"Then so did you!" She yanked him out into the rain. The rain soaked his clothes too, but slower since he was wearing more.   
  
The two stood in the torrential rain, staring at each other with amused expressions. Suddenly, they were both laughing.   
  
Heading into the house, they fell on each other laughing, heading upstairs to the bathroom for towels. Dragging towels out, they began taking off their soaked clothes.   
  
"Turn around!" Thalia held a towel to her chest. "I need to dry off."  
  
Turning to face the door, Donnie waited as she peeled off her soaked clothes. Each garment hit the floor with a  _splat_.  
  
"I'm going to get some new clothes."  
  
"Sure."   
  
Donnie left the bathroom, heading into his room. Grabbing a shirt, he pulled it over his head. As the fabric clung to some still wet parts of his skin, he took another shirt, heading back to the bathroom. Opening the bathroom door, he was about to hand Thalia the shirt when his jaw dropped.  
  
Bruises speckled her neck, spreading down to the top of her back. Against her skin tone, they looked ghastly, and almost like handprints. "Thalia," Donnie said her name softly. Her hands, which were busy wringing out her hair, paused for a second, then fell to her sides, fiddling with the hem of her tank top. "What happened?"  
  
"I think it was the guy," she said. "Ward, I think. He had me pinned to the floor, and he stuck a needle into my neck."  
  
"Ward," Donnie said his name, trying to remember where he'd seen the person and heard the name. "Agent Ward. He was at SciTech, interrogating me and Seth when the whole ice machine thing was happening."  
  
She turned around to face him. The front of the bruises were visible. Fingers. "It doesn't hurt, just the coloring. It'll fade in a few days."  
  
He took her in his arms, her head resting on his chest. "I don't know what's happening any more."  
  
"We'll figure it out," Thalia muttered into his shirt. "We usually do."  
  
He nodded. "Yeah."   
  
Pulling herself out of Donnie's arms, Thalia pulled on the shirt he had brought. "Thanks."   
  
"No problem." He watched as she pulled her hair out of the shirt. He smiled. It was one of his own. His Arctic Monkeys shirt that he'd gotten that one summer years ago. The coincidence being that summer was when he started his research on freezing technology. "Hold on. Can I talk to you about something?"  
  
She turned around, her back facing the wall. "Yeah?"  
  
Approaching her, he felt his heart hammering inside his chest.  _Now or never.  
  
_ "I just wanted to tell you that even though it's only been a month and a half or so, you've become someone I normally wouldn't open myself up to." Donnie fell silent. "I would consider you more than a friend."  
  
"How much more?"  
  
"A lot more than I thought was possible." He placed a hand on her cheek. "It was really difficult for me to communicate with other people, especially the very few friends I had at SciTech."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because even though they were at my level, they weren't really there. They were always rambling on about other things. I never got the chance to speak." He felt his eyes drift over her face, locking with her own. "I felt like the next new recruit in line."  
  
"Then why would someone connect with someone who couldn't connect?"  
  
"Maybe because they just needed a little help." Donnie felt something tug at his heart. It hurt. "Maybe because I needed a little help."  
  
"The irony in it being I'm just about as disconnected as you are." Water from her hair slid down the back of his hand, freezing into a small droplet. "But I see your point."  
  
"Thalia, why do you see yourself disconnected?"  
  
"Because next to fact that I haven't got a clue about who I am, I'm in a strange country building strange things while taking orders from a strange man. And yet..." She looked into his eyes, suddenly mesmerized with the strange shade of blue they were. "And yet you are not strange. I feel like I should be scared, and yet, I'm not. Instead, I seek solace in your company. Strange, right? I feel like you are someone I would happily spend the rest of my strange new life with."  
  
"Strange new life," Donnie said. In his head, the words sounded strange, but they sounded right. "Here's to the strange new life."  
  
Pressing his lips to hers, he stiffened, the strange warmth from her skin soaking into his own; he half expected her to tense up, pull back at the unnatural coldness of his skin. Breaking the kiss, she took a small step back, studying him. Looking down, he fully expected her to turn away, be scared of him. But she didn't, and instead she kissed him back, her arms snaking around his neck. His heart beat loudly, raucously, against his ribcage.   
  
Taking a step backwards, Thalia felt her back hit the door. Donnie's fingers ran through her hair, tilting her head back. She gasped as he picked her up, and her heart hammered as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Separating their lips from one another, her mouth was slightly agape, her heart hammering.   
  
She looked at him with eyes that clearly spoke surprise. He could feel his heartbeat settling, and his lips were centimeters from hers. His breathing hitched as small slivers of her irises turned blue. "Please tell me that wasn't you kissing me out of pity."  
  
"I'm pretty sure," she replied. Her thumbs brushed under his eyes. "Please tell me that wasn't some dodgy attempt to tell me how you really feel." He could feel his heart climb. "Because I don't care," Thalia said raggedly, pressing their lips together. Now that everything was out in the open, he kissed her heatedly, his hand holding her head. Softly biting at her bottom lip, Donnie slowly deepened the kiss, feeling her fingers run through his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry," she murmured, separating her lips from his and pressing kisses along the underside of his jaw. "For scaring you."  
  
"Don't be," he replied raggedly. Burying his face in the juncture of her neck and shoulder, he kissed along her neck. A sigh escaped her lips, and her fingers, which were threaded in his hair, loosened their grip slightly. Their pulses were racing, and each touch made fire burn under their skins. They climbed higher and higher...  
  
A knock was felt at the top of Thalia's spine. "Can we hurry up in there?"  
  
Looking at each other with shocked expressions, Donnie slowly carried her to the counter, setting her down on the edge. Opening the drawer, he tossed her a bandage, instructing her silently to place it on her foot. As she did what she what she was told, he unlocked the door, and Carroll came in. "What happened?"  
  
"A rock got in my shoe," Thalia said. "Cut my foot."  
  
"Make sure you wear socks then," Carroll reprimanded her. "We have them, use them."  
  
"Yes, Miss Carroll."   
  
She shut the door. Donnie looked at Thalia, who stared at her feet and picked at the bandage edge. "So that happened."  
  
"That happened," Thalia said quietly. She looked up at him. "And you know, I wouldn't mind if that happened again."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Reviewing the data from the gem drive, Coulson was, least to say, a little more than shocked.   
  
Secrets. S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets. Secrets that he thought would never see the light of day.   
  
"Sir?"  
  
He looked up. Ward stood in the doorway. "Is something wrong?"

"Anna, she's..." Coulson was at a loss for words. "I think she's been scrubbing our documents and trading them for intel."

"What's scrubbing?"

"It's when someone takes an original document, copies it, then puts it through an extensive editing process, changing details like names and places. She could take a document like the first recorded contact of Asgardian contact and turn it into Roswell."  
  
"Wasn't Roswell rumored to be the first Asgardian contact?"  
  
"I hate to break this to you, Grant, but since she has higher clearance than both of us, there's no true way of knowing."  
  
"Coulson!" Skye flew in. "Someone just texted the phone."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Someone named Peter Parker."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love and appreciate feedback!


	8. Memento Mar del Maribel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I am so sorry about not keeping up. My sister's cat had kittens recently (four of them!) on top of schoolwork and babysitting kids, so I hope this makes up for it.

"Repeat that again."

"Some guy named Peter Parker texted the phone not even twenty minutes ago."

"Give it to me." Skye handed him the phone. Unlocking it, he scrolled through the conversation.

_Peter- Hey, what's going on?_

_Anna- Why are you texting me? I didn't give my number to you._

_Peter- Sam gave it to me. Under the guise of all members of the team need to be able to contact each other._

_Anna- Well, I didn't agree to it._

_Peter- You can drop the tough chick act now, Anna._

_Anna- There's no act. And it's none of your goddamn business if I'm acting tough or not._

_Peter- I don't know when you got the notion that you're above us, but you seriously need to knock it off._

_Anna- And I'm not sure when you got the notion that you were team leader. I was under the notion that we're all allowed to give input. Was that not correct?_

_Peter- If that was the case, then Sam would still have that damn jetpack of his. You know he can fly, right?_

_Anna- Yes, I was aware._

_Anna- And besides, we both know for a fact that Rocket would kick his ass if he used that helmet for anything other than crime fighting._

_Peter- Anna, I'm just trying to look out for you. Please just let us. And since when did you know Rocket personally?_

_Anna- When I heard that he seriously didn't like you (aka him beating the hell out of you in your own driveway)._

Coulson scrolled further down, prior to the past few months.

_Anna- Will you please tell him I'm sorry? I didn't mean for this to happen._

_Peter- Mean for what to happen?_

_Anna- One of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most wanted criminals has taken a liking to cyberstalking one of the highest ranking[REGISTERED](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=46788738#) Gifted on the board. Ever heard of the Clairvoyant?_

_Peter- You're kidding. Fury is losing it here because of the whole Clairvoyant thing._

_Anna- Not kidding. He says I know him._

_Peter- You know him? I'm going to be blunt with you Anna, but do you know how much shit you'd be in if they, being Fury, found out you know who he is?_

_Anna- I know. That's why they reclassified my case._

_Peter- What?_

_Anna- Priority Red. I'm being moved within the week. They said that if someone knows who he is, then they could be in serious danger._

_Peter- Where are you being relocated?_

_Anna- I don't know. All I know is that I'm getting a new name. Noriko Sato._

Coulson dropped the phone. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Skye, when you paired me and Garrett up to track down our person," Coulson said shakily. "Who did you send us to track?"

"Noriko Sato," Skye read off her phone. "Genius, nineteen, I.Q. of at least two hundred, considered to be psychic."

"When Anna was reclassified, she was given the name Noriko Sato as a new cover name.

"We were tracking Anna," Coulson said. "We nearly blew her cover."

"Oh my God," Skye went pale, looking to her phone. "You're serious."

"Look for yourself."

Taking the phone, Skye read through the texts, her face displaying a wide range of emotions. "I hate to break it to you, A.C., but I think she may have been sleeping with this guy. Is he S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Yes," Coulson replied. "But you do not have the clearance--"

"Peter Benjamin Parker," Skye read aloud. "Stationed in New York."

"And that's all you're gonna know." Coulson took the phone away from her. "What did the most recent text say?"

"It said, 'Sam's been trying to reach you through your hardline. Where are you?'" Skye did a double take of the text. "Wait, is this the same Sam that she's dating? Ooh, she's going to be in such big trouble when he finds out she's been screwing some other guy."

"Skye, I don't think you are in any position to talk about fidelity."

"That was a low blow, Ward," she spat, storming out of the office. "Even for you."

Skye stomped downstairs angrily. As she took to her chair in the lab, Fitz looked up for a second, then shook his head and went back to writing.

"You're  _still_ writing?"

"Fun part of being a scientist. You can copy every single aspect of another's work to track down her whereabouts." Fitz put down his pencil. "I've been writing for so long, my hand's cramping."

"Well, at least you don't feel like crap." Skye picked at her fingernails. "The target I gave Garrett and Coulson nearly blew Anna's cover."

"When we were tracking down potential Clairvoyant suspects?"

"Yep," Skye sighed. "She was under the guise of one of our suspects on the list."

"So who was the guy that texted the phone?" Fitz flexed his fingers. "Seeing as I nearly messed up a long line of formula that took me twenty minutes to write, I should at least know who it was that almost messed up nearly twenty minutes of work."

"Some guy named Peter Parker."

Fitz looked up at her. "You're kidding."

"You know him?"

"I've heard of him," Fitz answered. "Agent Weaver told me that next to Donnie being one of the youngest cadets since me and Jemma, she was pending a response from a boy named Peter Parker. He did work in cross-species genetics. He turned down the offer on the account he had a different offer, also from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So that's how SciTech was involved." Skye sat up. "Anna thought Peter was at SciTech. Instead, he must've rejected the offer, and when she got there, the whole ice machine thing went down."

"And that's how she got ahold of the reports. She probably wanted to know if Peter was associated with the incident."

"But she found out about Donnie." Skye turned on her laptop. "And did her research."

"We may be getting puzzle pieces, but we don't have the whole picture." Fitz shook his head.

"Coulson," Skye clicked the intercom button. "Is it possible that we can talk to this Parker guy?"

"Absolutely not." Coulson put a pen down. "He is in a situation that if we try to contact him, we could put him in danger."

"Yes sir."

Skye took Anna's phone out of her pocket. "What are you doing?"

"Coulson said we couldn't contact him," Skye started typing on Anna's phone. "He never said Anna couldn't."

~G.A.M.E.~

As Thalia brushed her teeth, she hummed to a song she had once heard. Afterwards, she slipped into a dress, per Carroll's orders, because apparently they were going out to celebrate. Celebration for finishing their project.

And as the irony piled on, Carroll said in order to maintain appearances, she and Donnie needed to pretend they were dating, and that he was meeting her mother.

"Come on," Thalia muttered in frustration as she attempted to close the clasp on the back of the corset top. "I'm skinny, I can pull this off."

"What's wrong?" Carroll entered the bathroom, adjusting a pair of dangly earrings.

"The clasp isn't shutting." Carroll came up behind her, fixing the problem.

"The clasp has to be shut by someone else, Thalia," Carroll told her, smoothing out the skirt of her dress. "It's the way the corset's made."

"Corsets must also be made for people who can't breathe," Thalia muttered. "It's uncomfortable."

"Fun being a girl, huh?"

"Sure."

"Please try and be convincing, Thalia."

"Yes, Miss Carroll."

"Now, let's go." Carroll led her to the car. "We have a reservation in twenty minutes, and reservations don't come cheap."

As Donnie sat in the back of the car, he heard Thalia protesting as she was dragged to the car. The side door opened, and she climbed in, shutting the door behind her.

"Damn it, I forgot the keys. Be right back." Carroll rushed back into the house.

Donnie looked to Thalia. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said quietly. "As usual, it was Carroll's idea."

He smiled. "Well, if it weren't for her, you'd always be wearing my shirts and working on one of your projects."

"Oh, be quiet!" She smiled, lightly hitting him in the shoulder. "If it weren't for me and her, you'd be covered in your own drool and be half asleep all the time."

"That's not true." She turned to him and lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes it is."

"You want to wager on it?"

"No, but I know where this is going." She smiled. "And you better not even think about it."

"Really?"

"Really," Thalia told him, sitting straight up against the seat. "I'm not ruining my makeup because you were wrong."

"Found the keys," Carroll climbed in the driver's seat. "And we're off."

As the French evening landscape passed by them, Donnie tried initiating conversation. "So, where are we going?"

"Le Etoile," Carroll replied. "It's a very nice restaurant in Lyon."

"And apparently the reservations do not come cheap," Thalia muttered under her breath.

"Thalia Quinn, don't sass me!" Carroll snapped from the driver's seat. "Understand that there will be people there, people that went to the conference. If you cannot be convincing, then they'll suspect something's wrong."

"Something is wrong," Thalia pointed out. "I look nothing like you!"

"Well, then I'll be his mother."

Donnie chuckled. "I know what my mother looks like, and trust me Carroll, you aren't it."

"Well, then how are we going to do this?" She turned her head to face them. "Because if I just show up with two teenagers, they'll think something's up."

"Then you'll be my stepmom, and she's my girlfriend." Donnie frowned. "Happy?"

"Quite," Carroll turned around, readjusting her grip on the steering wheel. "Now, here we are."

Pulling up to a stop, a valet opened the door, taking Thalia's hand and helping her out. Donnie followed her out, wrapping his arms around her in a feeble attempt to ward off the cold.

She placed the back of her head on his shoulder. "I just hope you know this is highly counterproductive, considering."

"It's just an act, Thalia."

"I know."

Donnie planted a kiss at her temple. It was cold, but no ice formed. "How did you do that?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Donnie separated from her as Carroll led them to the door.

A gust of heat blew from inside, drawing them into the restaurant. Removing her coat, Thalia draped it over her arm as they were directed to a table. Their waiter brought menus, and Carroll told him something in French.

Donnie looked at her in confusion. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him she has allergies to some of the seasonings they use in their food. He's talking to the chef."

"I do?"

"According to your hospital records, yes." Carroll nodded. "Some spices, snails. They'll probably make ratatouille."

Thalia fidgeted. "So where are these people that went to the conference?"

"All around," Carroll stood up, welcoming the red haired scientist from Oscorp. "Norman, pleasure to see you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Norman replied, shaking her hand. "And who are these young people?"

"My stepson, Donnie," Carroll pointed to him. "And his lovely girlfriend, Thalia Quinn."

"Miss Quinn, I hear you went through quite the spill," Norman looked to Thalia, who was looking down to the table. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, actually," Thalia looked up to answer Norman, and she froze. Her eyes reflected... fear?

"Excuse me, Miss Carroll, I need to find the restroom," Thalia stood up, seperating herself from the three of them as fast as possible.

"Is she okay?" Norman looked flustered, watching Thalia's retreating back. "She looked terrified."

"Donnie, why don't you go check on her?" Carroll suggested. "She's still recuperating, and she gets scared and has panic attacks fairly easy."

Nodding, Donnie stood up, following Thalia to the bathroom. "Thalia?"

She stood at the end of the hall, near the exit. "Donnie?"

"What was that?"

"I've seen him before," Thalia replied, shock still on her face.

"Well, he was at the conference you and Miss Carroll went to."

"No," Thalia looked distraught as she looked at him. "I've seen him before."

"Pre-accident?"

She nodded. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. "I see him, and I start to panic. I think he did something to me, something bad."

"He looked pretty shocked to see you too," Donnie wrapped his arms around her, whispering to her comforting things. "But he's not going to touch you. I promise."

They stood there for nearly five minutes, then Thalia nodded. "I'm better. Let's go."

Leading her back to the table, Donnie let her into the booth so she sat close to the wall. Sitting down next to her, she grabbed his hand. He squeezed it, sending her the signal that she was fine.

"Norman left," Carroll sat down. "Said he was called back to business. Is she okay?"

"Panic attack," Thalia spoke before Donnie. "I thought he was someone else, and I panicked."

"Well, he's gone," Carroll told her. "And our food is here."

Setting down a plate of ratatouille in front of Thalia and Donnie, she could see the waiter smiling at the two of them. He set a platter of snail shells in front of Carroll. "Enjoy."

"What is that?"

"Escargot," Carroll replied. "Fried snail shells."

"Gross," Donnie made a nearly silent gagging noise, and Thalia smiled. Picking up her fork, she speared a piece of eggplant in the tines. She twirled her utensil a few times.

"Thalia, it's food, not art," Donnie grabbed her hand, immobilizing any movement. "You don't need to admire it."

"Do I look like one of those girls who Instagrams her food?" Thalia gave Donnie a look of disdain. "No, I don't."

Thalia popped the slice of eggplant into her mouth. It was a unique taste, she had to give it that.

"I'm stuffed."

Thalia did a double take of the plate. Half of it was already empty. "Jesus Christ, Donnie!"

"What?"

She gave him a deadpanned look. "You do realize I need to eat too, right?"

"Alright, that's enough." Carroll pushed her platter away. "Are we done?"

"Yes," Thalia said. After Donnie moved out of the seat, she slid out, putting her coat back on. "I am."

"Well, then how about you guys wait outside while I pay?"

Donnie led her outside, and they stood in the brisk evening air, watching the stars. "They're stunning."

"Yes, they are," Thalia leaned in close to Donnie, under the impression she was warm.

Across the street, there was a park. Smiling at her, Donnie grabbed her hand and led her across the street, where they were under the shade of one of the many trees. "Thalia, did you ever think you'd end up in France at any point in your life?"

"Maybe," she replied. "I figured if I became a scientist, I'd always end up traveling to exotic places as such."

Carroll came outside, and the valet pulled up to the curb, handing her the keys. They both crossed the street again, back to the car, where they climbed in the backseat.

"I think tonight was rather uneventful in a good way." Carroll beamed. "Don't you think?"

~*~

Donnie stumbled through his nightly routine, getting ready for bed, brushing his teeth. Everything felt hazy. Perhaps the food made it that way. He always got a little off when he ate a lot.

Laying in bed, he stared at the wall. It started blurring, like he was about to fall asleep when Thalia came in. "Hey, just dropping off some stuff," she said, tossing some clothes into his dirty clothes basket.

"Thalia..."

Her head snapped up. "Hm?"

"Can you come here?"

"What's wrong?"

"My head..."

"Go to sleep," Thalia told him. "You're tired."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, since you are capable of forming sentences, I guess you aren't." She turned on the ceiling lights. The lights were harsh against the backs of his eyes. "What are you doing up?"

"Thalia, it's only ten."

"I was about to go to bed, Donnie." She yawned.

The blood pounded in his head as he looked up at her, squinting to avoid the harsh lights up ahead.

"Donnie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just I was about to go to sleep when the blinding, bright lights came on." He looked at her blankly. "Other than that, perfectly fine."

"And the sarcasm indicates you are tired."

Sitting next to him on the bed, Thalia sighed, letting the back of her head rest against the wall. "What's wrong?"

"It's getting better," Thalia told him. "Things are starting to come back."

"Like what?"

"My favorite color," Thalia gave him an example. "Blue. Dark blue."

"That explains where half of my shirts are going."

"You're getting new clothes anyway." Thalia shrugged it off.

Tossing blankets over her legs, she placed her head on Donnie's chest. Then she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. He shut off the lights, staring at the ceiling.

"Goodnight, Thalia."

~G.A.M.E.~

The phone buzzed. Skye picked up Anna's phone. Peter texted. She unlocked the screen.

_Peter- Why hasn't the hardline been working?_

_Anna- I don't know. I keep trying to set it up, but there's already one on the plane. I don't think I should bother it._

_Peter- Well where does it go?_

_Anna- The cockpit._

_Peter- Then it's probably to recieve orders from someone. You were right; you probably shouldn't bother it._

Putting Anna's phone down, she resumed her game. The phone buzzed again.

_Peter- Now that we have that out of the way, would you mind telling me who this really is?_

~*~

Counting the steady breaths taken in and out, Donnie turned his head to look at Thalia, who was still asleep. Carroll pushed the door open.

"Get up."

Donnie blinked a few times against the light. "What? Why?"

"Just get up." Carroll turned on the lights, causing both teenagers to cry out in pain. "Thalia?"

"Morning, Miss Carroll," she groaned, holding a blanket against her face.

"Get up," Carroll said. "We need to talk."

As soon as the door was closed, Donnie turned to Thalia, his fingers flitting across her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Thalia replied. "Just might be blind for a while."

"Come here," Donnie took her hands, helping her off the bed. Then she rubbed her eyes.

"I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she replied. "So, why wake us up at six in the morning?"

"No clue," Donnie answered. "It'd have to be something important."

When the two got downstairs, Carroll was making herself something to eat. "You two. Sit."

"Did we do something wrong, Miss Carroll?"

"No." She turned on the blender. "After what happened at the hotel, Mister Quinn thinks that it'd be proper if the two of you learn how to defend yourselves."

A man entered the kitchen. "I am John," he smiled at them. "I am your trainer."

"Hi, John." Donnie could feel Thalia's fingers wrap around his hand. "Pleasure to meet you at this six in the morning."

"She's got spunk," John noted, a broad smile on his face. "That's good. A question," he crossed his arms over his chest, staring at her startling closeness to Donnie's side. "What's with the whole touchy-feely thing they have going on?"

"She's been like that ever since she woke up from her coma," Carroll told John.

"Ah," John raised his head in acknowledgement. "So, Thalia, Donnie, we will train every day."

"What happens if one of us gets a project from Mister Quinn?"

"Then you can still work on it," John nodded his head. "We'll train in the mornings, six to eight."

"Two hours a day?"

"Seven days a week." John dropped his arms. "Now, let's go."

An hour later, Donnie and Thalia were soaked in sweat, going down again for another pushup. "And a hundred," Thalia panted, rolling over onto her back.

"My arms feel like limp noodles."

Thalia turned her head to face Donnie. "You can't say that. You at least have  _some_  muscle definition in those arms of yours."

"Up!" John ordered.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," Thalia groaned as she stood up, the muscles in her arms screaming in protest.

"Was that you complimenting me?" Donnie smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't get cocky," Thalia panted. "I'll take it back."

"Now Donnie," John walked around them in a slow circle. "If you were to run into the position where someone was trying to hurt her, how do you respond?"

"How would they try?" Donnie asked. "How would they know she is the weaker target?"

"Good questions," John responded. "They would know she is the weaker target simply by being with you. The way she clings to you is a sign that you two are close, and if someone wanted something you had, they'd take her. Fully knowing that she'd be vulnerable and could be hurt, you'd bend over backwards to prevent anything from happening."

Donnie felt guilty by inwardly admitting this. It was true. Every last part.

"But," John held up a finger, pulling up Thalia's chin. "If they did not know better, they'd see you as the weaker target because of her menacing stature."

"How am  _I_ menacing?"

"Yeah, how is  _she_ menacing?" Donnie waved a hand in her direction.

"Because, when she goes out in public, she's dressed to throw people off, she's dressed to look threatening and terrifying." John removed his finger from under her chin. "The serpent guarding the fragile flower."

"Makes sense." Donnie noticed how nervous sparks danced between her fingers. "So the question you'd ask next is if the roles were switched, how would I respond?"

"Yes," John nodded, clearly pleased with her quick thinking. "So, Thalia, how do you react?"

Nobody answered. "That's alright. I don't expect you to know how to fend off late night muggers or burgulars. Which is why we're training. Which is why you guys are going to start learning defensive moves to prevent yourselves from getting in these situations."

John glanced to his watch. "Our time is up. Hit the showers."

As they left the training room, Thalia gazed down the hall in wonder. "Which way is up?"

"You mean which way to the showers," Donnie corrected her. "And that'd be this way." He pointed towards the left end of the hallway. Leading them down the hall, she raised an eyebrow in surprise when he was right.

"So, who gets the shower?"

"There's two," Donnie pointed out. "One's upstairs."

"I know, but who gets this one?" Thalia asked.

"I'll take this one," Donnie replied quickly. "Your stuff is upstairs anyways."

"Well, I'll see you in a while," Thalia replied. Turning on her heel, she marched out of the locker room.

~G.A.M.E.~

Skye sucked in a sharp breath.

_Anna- What do you mean?_

_Peter- Well, I know for a fact that ANNA wouldn't listen to a thing I say and go and mess with an encrypted hardline anyways._

_Peter- Not to mention she wouldn't ever sound worried, even in a text. Because if there's anyone I know better than myself, it's probably her._

Skye paused for a second. Then she typed her reply.

_Anna- Well do you really want to know who this is?_

_Peter- So I was right._

_Anna- This is a friend of hers. She dropped off the grid over a month ago when she was sent on assignment to track someone who escaped transfer._

_Peter- What do you mean "Dropped off the grid"?_

_Anna- Dropped off the grid as in she's sitting in some evil scientist's compound. We can't find her._

_Peter- What?_

_Anna- And Coulson's been trying. He really has, and he's been on the verge of mental breakdown several times over the past month._

_Peter- Slow down. What happened?_

_Anna- She was sent to track down someone who escaped transfer, and was mortally wounded in the process. Split the back of her head open on a metal bench, and is now sitting in a compound somewhere near the border of France._

_Peter- That's impossible. Her healing factor should've kicked in at some point._

_Anna- Healing factor?_

_Peter- She has regenerative healing capabilities. I thought you said you knew her..._

_Anna- Well, we saw a conference where a doctor pointed out she was half something else. Not being completely human._

_Peter- Like Asgardian not completely human?_

_Anna- How do YOU know about them?_

_Peter- I've had my run-ins with them at various points in time._

_Anna- Anyways, this doctor said on top of chemical enhancements from Oscorp, she has half Asgardian DNA._

_Peter- Hm. Knew it. Any clue as to which Asgardian?_

_Anna- Yet again, still weirded out with the fact that you know about Asgardians. We suspect Lorelei, but it's slim._

_Peter- Who's Lorelei?_

_Anna- So you don't know them all._

_Peter- No. Thor did call me "man of spiders" once._

_Anna- ?_

_Peter- Nevermind. Who's Lorelei?_

_Anna- Seductress. Broke out of Asgardian prison._

_Peter- Well, the Anna I know fits that profile pretty well, so don't be surprised if it is her._

_Anna- What's THAT supposed to mean?_

_Peter- Yet again, I thought you said you knew her. Her overall demeanor. When we see her, she's dressed so as she looks every bit a dominatrix without the whole bondage thing._

_Anna- That's interesting..._

_Peter- Yeah. What was it that one girl from Take The Lead said..? Oh yes, sex on hardwood._

Skye stared at the phone screen, mouth agape. Coulson passed by, looking at her suspiciously. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Skye clicked her mouse. "This guy I'm playing Scopa with just called the seven of coins. Bastard."

Looking at her funny, Coulson shook his head and continued walking. When he was gone, Skye shot Peter another text.

_Anna- You sound pretty jaded._

_Peter- Why do you say that?_

_Anna- You sound like she ripped your heart out._

_Peter- In a sense._

_Anna- ?_

_Peter- She can twist everything around, make you believe whatever she wants you to believe. And the worst part? You want to believe she's tricking you into something, but she isn't. Instead, you're making yourself do these things because you want to, not because she said so._

_Anna- Now that doesn't sound like Lorelei at all. Lorelei becomes the embodiment of your desires. What you describe Anna doing... That's just strange._

_Peter- And you don't remember any of it. You just wake up with no memory of what you did._

Skye scrunched her eyebrows. If Anna could do what Peter was describing, who was to say she couldn't be working with someone else?

~G.A.M.E.~

Sitting in the center of her bed, Thalia stared at the wall. Growing bored, she laid out on her back staring at the ceiling.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Thalia sighed. "Just thinking."

"About?"

"Things," Thalia sat up. "You seem awfully curious."

"Well, you would be if you walked in on someone just staring at the wall." Donnie jumped from the top step to the bedroom floor. "I didn't know you found your room."

"Of course I found it!" Thalia spun around, tangling her feet in the sheets.

"Well, how was I supposed to know by the way you spend almost every waking and sleeping second in  _my_  room?"

"Because this room gives me the creeps," Thalia answered him, yanking her feet out of the thick duvet. A struggle to find balance resulted in her falling off the bed.

Jumping up onto the bed, Donnie looked over the edge to see Thalia furiously swiping hair out of her face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just peachy keen," she grumbled. Reaching a hand down to her, she took it, and he pulled her up onto the bed. "Thank you."

"No problem," Donnie told her. Looking up to her hair, he fixed it, much to Thalia's glare. "Don't hit me for telling you this, but for some odd reason, you always part your hair over your right eyebrow. And you get so mad when it's not a straight line, too."

"Really?" She flipped her head down, then back up again, fixing her hair.

"Yes," Donnie replied. "And thanks for the mouthful of hair."

"No problem." She smiled, tucking a strand behind her ear. "You know, I get the feeling this room is familiar."

"How?"

"I don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It just feels... nostalgic."

"Like you've been in here before?"

"It just seems familiar." Thalia leaned against him. "Hey, want to go walking?"

"Out in the woods?"

"No, out in the street." She gave him a deadpanned look. "Hone your deduction skills, Watson."

"Not really." Donnie shook his head. "No offense, but I prefer staying clean after taking a shower."

"Only way you're going to get dirt on your porcelain skin is if I push you down into the dirt."

"Go ahead, Thalia, keep the insults coming." Donnie smiled smugly. "See what happens."

Thalia stared him down, arching an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Maybe something like this," Donnie locked lips with hers. Her mouth startled open, and she returned the kiss eagerly, only to be left hanging open when he broke the kiss. "Something like that."

"Then bring it on, ice cube."

"No."

"What?" She pushed back a few inches. "Why? Worried?" Thalia pecked him on the nose. "Then don't tempt fate."

"I'm not tempting fate," Donnie replied earnestly. "I'm being cautious."

"Well, being cautious is boring." Thalia rolled her eyes. "Sometimes you get a thrill from the fear of getting caught."

"Thalia, you are so weird."

"Thanks." She looked up at him. "Are you sure you don't want to go walking?"

"You know what? That sounds like a good idea."

~*~

With John close behind them, Thalia walked through the woods, Donnie following her.

"Where are we going?"

"The pond," Thalia replied. "There was a pier stretching over the side of the pond. I thought we could eat lunch there."

"You guys eat out in the woods?" John asked, shifting their lunch bag in his arms. "Why?"

"Being stuck in the house often instills a sense of cabin fever." Donnie shrugged, nearly getting hit in the face with a stray tree branch. "It was her idea."

Reaching the pier before the others, Thalia stepped across the boards gingerly as they creaked. Fish swam under her feet.

"You sure you want to eat here?"

"Yeah," Thalia replied. "There's nothing like getting fresh air during lunch hour."

"So," John said, handing Thalia her sandwich. "How did you two meet?"

"I met her first," Donnie replied. "She almost got hit by a car."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You got really mad at me, saying you could've seen it yourself." Donnie unwrapped his sandwich. "And then you were running, and you tripped. Hit a bench, split the back of your head open."

John looked to Donnie, then to Thalia, and then back to Donnie. Shrugging, he brought out his sandwich. "So, when did you two see each other after the accident?"

"When I woke up, Carroll introduced us." Thalia sat down on the boards. "He visited during his breaks."

"You two seem close."

"Well, we've been stuck together since day one. A month and a half later, and we're here."

"Where's 'here'?"

"France, John." Thalia shook her head, licking her fingers for extra peanut butter and jelly. After wiping her hands off, she took a bag of breadcrumbs from the bag, tossing handfuls into the water. "We're here in France."

"She's got spunk, talking back like that."

"She does it to me all the time. It doesn't mean anything."

"Ow!" Thalia yanked her hand back. "One of those ducks bit me!"

"They're probably saying it's time to go back."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious." Thalia shoved her bag of breadcrumbs into the trash. "They're just a bunch of greedy ducks."

"Come on, you two. Carroll's waiting for us." John tossed the lunch bag over his shoulder.

"Fine." Standing up, Thalia snuggled into Donnie's side, sticking a hand in his jacket pocket.

"You realize that doing that yields no results to get warm?"

"I know."

~G.A.M.E.~

Coulson looked Agent Blake in the face. "Searches have come up fruitless. I have agents combing France, and neither of them have shown up."

"Carroll is a good woman," Coulson mused. "Why would she just switch sides?"

"Nobody knows what goes on in a woman's head. Least of all, Agent Crawford's."

"Joking about that will bring disastrous consequences."

"Wait, something just pinged east of Lyon." Blake squinted at a computer screen. "Did you get it?"

"Yeah," Coulson replied, looking at the screen. "Something's trying to scramble the signal, though."

"I'm sending men to investigate." Blake nodded. "That will be all."

~*~

"Ow!" Thalia jumped. "That hurts!"  
  
"Sorry!" Donnie removed the brush from her hair. "It's hard. The skin is still sensitive. And even though you don't have thick hair, it's still gonna hurt."  
  
"Never mind," Thalia muttered, setting the brush down. "I'll just keep it down."  
  
"Thalia, the stitches are out. You don't have to wear your hair up all the time anymore."  
  
"Sorry, it's just habit."  
  
"Check it out," Donnie said. "Look what's happening."  
  
Looking around the room, Thalia watched as the lights dimmed, showcasing a display of stars across the ceiling. "You did this?"  
  
"Yeah." Donnie looked up. "So you wouldn't get up and go wandering the woods at night."  
  
"Wow," Thalia said in awe. "This is amazing."  
  
"Well, it's going to keep you inside at night as well."  
  
She yawned. "Want to watch a movie?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Any movie," Thalia said. "We could watch Carrie."  
  
"When did you hear about that?"  
  
"You have a song from the movie soundtrack."   
  
"I do?" Donnie took out his phone, scrolling through the music library. "Hm, I guess I do."  
  
"Anyways?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Standing up, Thalia sauntered over to the door, hand on the handle. "Come on."  
  
"I'm coming."   
  
Standing behind her, he put his hand over hers, turning the knob and letting the door drift open. John stood on the other side. "Were you two heading out or..?"  
  
"No." Thalia shook her head. "Just watching a movie, is all."  
  
"Okay. Just checking up on you two."   
  
Sneaking downstairs, Donnie set up the living room for their movie. Thalia busied herself with making popcorn and spooning out a bowl of ice cream for herself.  
  
"What are you watching?"  
  
"Carrie," Thalia replied. Carroll held her purse and keys to her side. "Where are you going?"  
  
"John and I are heading into town for groceries. Need anything?"  
  
"Could you get some movies?" Thalia asked. "Donnie and I want something to do."  
  
"Sure," Carroll wrapped Thalia in a one-armed hug. "We'll be back in a while. Don't go outside, and don't answer the door if anyone knocks."  
  
"Yes, Miss Carroll."  
  
"John, let's go." Carroll opened the door, waiting on the front porch as he grabbed his wallet.  
  
"You guys be safe." He nodded at Donnie as the door shut behind him. The heavy  _thud_  of the lock told him they were alone.  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
"I'm sending in Ward for the ground sweep."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"A virtual blackout occurred east of Lyon, close to the Italian border. Blake has sent a search team to investigate, and Ward is going to be on it."  
  
"Didn't we learn last time that Donnie  _really_  doesn't like people messing with his stuff?"  
  
"That is true," Jemma said. "When Ward was encased in ice, it dropped his core temperature so low he nearly froze to death. And he's still recovering from that."  
  
"If they find something, he's not going in," Coulson assured her. "He will be reporting to me."  
  
"Yes, sir." Jemma sat back as Ward entered the room.   
  
"I'm wearing my thermals, Simmons," Ward told her. "And I've got my gear."  
  
"Well, then let's go." Blake stepped up the stairs. "We're burning daylight. We can only be out there until about eleven at night."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The area is so heavily wooded, when darkness falls, the woods go pitch black."  
  
"We have flashlights."  
  
"That would alert anyone who's there of our presence."  
  
"I see," Ward said. "So we're assuming that someone's out there in the middle of the virtual blackout?"  
  
"We are." Blake straightened his tie. "So let's go."  
  
Following Blake out the door, Coulson sat back. "Sir, is everything alright?"  
  
"We might find Anna and bring her back." Coulson smiled. "I'm fine."  
  
"Sir," Fitz entered the room. "Ward's camera is live."  
  
"Let's start watching," Coulson replied as he turned around and turned on the screen. French countryside flew by the camera as thick, looming woods started showing up. About halfway through the woods, they stopped.  
  
"Search the woods for any signs of habitation or any signs of a perimeter for the black out. You're GPS stays on until we enter the black out zone. When it shuts off, your partner will search the woods close to your last known location for any evidence of what caused this. Understand?"  
  
~*~  
  
"Yes sir."   
  
"Ward, you're with Henley." Blake pointed to a man with red hair. "You will search the woods, Henley will be your backup."  
  
Nodding curtly, Ward started into the woods, weaving between trees and dodging low branches. Stepping over logs, he found himself at the edge of a pond.  
  
"Ward, report."  
  
"I've found a pond." Ward said aloud, so both Henley and Coulson could hear him. "It's big enough for a pier. Any news?"  
  
Henley spoke with Blake. "Your signal is strong, keep going."  
  
"Check out the pier," Coulson ordered. Weaving through the woods, Ward stepped onto the pier. Slipping on a pair of gloves, he opened the trash, finding sandwich wrappers. DVG, TLQ, and JG.  
  
"Someone's around here," Ward said into the walkie talkie. "Three people ate at the pier today. They are most likely still in the area."  
  
"Keep looking."  
  
Ward [CONTINUED](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=47383823#) into the woods when his GPS beeped, then shut off. "Don't move."  
  
"I see the outline of a house from my position."  
  
Henley passed by the pond. "How far away is it?"  
  
"About a hundred feet in front of me," Ward answered. He turned around, and Henley was there, checking the woods. "What about the house?"  
  
"Blake said we don't go investigate until we shut off the perimeter." Henley [SCANNED](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=47383823#) the trees. "What's that?"  
  
"That looks like a marker," Ward pointed to a narrow, marker shaped rod masquerading as a tree branch. "Break it."  
  
Henley followed, grabbing the marker and breaking it in half. A low whirring died down, causing the woods to go silent. "Henley, the perimeter has been shut down. Ground teams move in."   
  
Following the outline of the house, they came within twenty feet of the house when they heard screaming. Everyone pulled guns out, inching closer to the house.   
  
"It's okay." Agent Blake's voice crackled over the walkie talkies. "Someone's playing a movie."  
  
"Ward, there are night vision goggles with you," Fitz said.   
  
Slipping them on, the woods were lit up in green. Approaching the house, Henley and Ward were on the back porch, peering in through the blinds.  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"There are two people in the living room." Ward squinted. "One just went upstairs. Move in?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Opening the back door, Ward stepped quietly through the dining room, passing into the kitchen.   
  
"The person's in the upstairs bathroom."  
  
Slipping into the living room, credits for a movie rolled as someone slept on the couch.   
  
"Ward, report."  
  
Linking his goggles to his camera, he crouched in front of the sleeping person on the couch. "Who is it?"  
  
"A girl," Ward noted. "Nineteen. Dark hair."   
  
"Ward," Henley whispered. "Blake wants to know who it is."  
  
"It's nobody--" Ward was stopped short when she turned over, facing him. She was still asleep. Finger shaped bruises dotted her collarbone. "I think it's Anna."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"When I cornered her in that mall, I had to hold her down while I sedated her. She would've gotten bruises."  
  
"Blake, we have a possible suspect in the Crawford case."  
  
"She's dead," Blake spat. "Died from extensive trauma to the brain stem."  
  
"No," Henley said cautiously. "She's right here."   
  
Snapping a picture, Henley sent it to Blake. "See?"  
  
"That's impossible," Blake said, clearly aghast. "She's supposed to be dead."  
  
"Well, 'supposed to be' isn't necessarily a term in her vocabulary." Henley looked to the stairs. "The other one's coming back."  
  
Darting out of the house, Ward locked the back door behind him. "That was too close, Ward."  
  
"I understand, Henley. Coulson, did you get that picture yet?"  
  
The comm was silent. "Let's get back to Blake." Henley started back into the woods. "The men out front said someone just pulled up."  
  
~*~  
  
Coulson stared at the picture in shock. There she was. Anna was alive. Alive and well.  
  
"Coulson, it's okay, they found her." Skye leaned on the holocom next to him. "She's okay."  
  
"Not until she's here," Coulson shook his head. "Not until she's back here on this plane."  
  
"Ward's on his way back." May came into the room. "And Blake is not happy."  
  
"I am," Coulson replied. "She's alive."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
"Thalia," Donnie said, nudging her. "Carroll and John are back. Let's go to bed."  
  
"Okay," she replied, standing up. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she followed Donnie upstairs, falling asleep again as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
  
Pulling the quilt up to her shoulders, Donnie turned around, coming face to face with John. "John."  
  
"She sleeps in here?"  
  
"Well yeah," Donnie answered.   
  
"Next to you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you're sure you two aren't..?"  
  
"No!" Donnie looked startled. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"I'm not." John held up his hands defensively. "I was just making sure..."  
  
"Well, don't." Donnie threw him a judgemental glare.   
  
"Sorry," John said. "I'll be going now."  
  
"I think you should." Donnie stared holes into the back of his head as he shut the door. Shaking his head, Donnie crawled into the bed, looking at Thalia's sleeping face.   
  
Opening his eyes hours later, Thalia was still there, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. The bruises had begun fading.   
  
"I could get used to waking up like this."  
  
Thalia smiled at him, kissing the inside of his hand. "Good morning."  
  
Donnie pulled his hand back, the tingling warmth spreading through his body. "Good morning to you too."  
  
"So, what happened at the end of Carrie?"  
  
"Read the book," Donnie told her. "I'm sure you'll find it interesting."  
  
"You're no fun." Thalia sat up, stretching her arms over her head. "What time is it?"  
  
Donnie checked his phone. "It is 5:45 a.m."  
  
"Too early!" Thalia buried her head in her pillow. "It's too early."  
  
"Thalia Lorelei Quinn," Donnie watched her face light up as he said her full name. "You have no comprehension of what's too early."  
  
She looked at him with one eye. With her voice muffled by her pillow, she said, "Oh, and you do? Mister Donnie Vincent Gill?"  
  
"It's  _Donald_  Vincent Gill."  
  
"Your mother named you Donald?" Thalia let out a low moan. "Now I see why you go by Donnie."  
  
"I'm not too appreciative of the name either."  
  
"You'd be banned in Finland, you know."  
  
"Really? Why?"  
  
"Donald Duck cartoons are banned in Finland because Donald Duck doesn't wear pants."  
  
"That's interesting." Donnie brushed her hair off her shoulder. "But I wear pants, so I think I'm good."  
  
Laughing softly, Thalia held the pillow close to her chest. "You can be so weird sometimes, Donnie."  
  
In a split second, she was on her back, the weight of Donnie's body pushing against the pillow on her chest. For a minute, she hoped he couldn't feel her heart hammering out of her chest.  
  
"I know." Donnie brushed stray hairs off her face. "The isolated kid with a witty sense of humor."  
  
"What are you--" Thalia let his words sink in. "Isolated? Really? Ice-olated? How much more ironic can you be?"  
  
"Pretty ironic," Donnie whispered. Every nerve ending fired to life as he brushed a thumb along her cheek, ice spreading across her skin in a [SLOW](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=47383823#), lazy fashion. Their noses brushed as he lowered his face to hers, not breaking eye contact. "And speaking of ironic, who's the girl that can levitate metal? Irony is lost on you, Thalia."  
  
"That never actually occurred to me," Thalia whispered, her voice unyielding, yet small. "Irony being that I control metal. And gravity."  
  
"Well, then it really is lost on you, isn't it?"   
  
"I guess it does."   
  
They stared at each other for all of a few seconds before Donnie pushed himself off her chest. Thalia laid there for a few seconds before sitting up, a mask of confusion, relief, and shock on her face.   
  
"I think we need to need to stop having conversations in such close proximities," she suggested, sounding breathless as she did.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because," her voice was ragged, "It might lead to rather shocking outcomes."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
The door opened. "Rise and shine. Time for training."  
  
"Yes sir," Thalia replied, climbing out of bed. After yawning, she stumbled downstairs, still in a half asleep daze.   
  
"Come on, you too."  
  
"Coming," Donnie said, following the trainer downstairs. As soon as he stepped over the threshold into the training room, the door locked behind him. "Hold up, what's going on?"  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Coulson pressed his hands together. "So, we've got a location on Anna."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"One of his compounds in France," Coulson answered Fitz's question. "Simmons, any idea as to when we'll be expecting results from the tests?"  
  
"None, sir." Jemma shook her head. "I'm requesting Thalia's DNA codex samples so I can run them."  
  
"Why do you have to request access to her samples?"  
  
"They're locked under Level 9 restrictions, sir."   
  
Shaking his head, Coulson [CONTINUED](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=47383823#) to speak. "Anyways, we need to take action quickly. If they find out the compound was compromised, then they could move Anna and Donnie to a different compound. Which means we need to get them and bring them to our closest office."  
  
"Paris."  
  
"Yes." Coulson nodded. "Ward, you're staying here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because they'll be expecting you if we try to catch them. And given that you sedated one of them and the other had a very chilling reaction, it's been decided that you will not be going."  
  
"Personally, I still stand with the opinion that Donnie's pissed because you knocked out his girlfriend."   
  
"Skye, be quiet."  
  
"What?" she shrugged. "If it were me running this mission, I'd be sure to pit one against the other. Because if Donnie reacted bad to when Ward knocked her out, she'll lose it if our ground team tries to separate them."  
  
~*~  
  
"We've been compromised," John said quickly. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s found us."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Carroll has a car waiting for us out near the pond," John tossed them clothes. "Put these on."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"They know we're here. So we need to be able to leave without being noticed. Blend into the environment."  
  
Donnie glanced to Thalia, who looked absolutely terrified. "Come on, let's go."  
  
Taking her hand, John led them through the woods, the trees becoming muted flashes.   
  
Stopping at the familiar opening of the pier, John looked around. "Damn it, Abbey, where are you?"  
  
"John, where's Miss Carroll?"  
  
"I'm going to look," John darted into the trees. "Stay there."  
  
In the freezing cold, Thalia huddled close to Donnie's side. "Why do we always get put in these situations?"  
  
"I wish I knew," Donnie hugged her closer to him. John returned. "Where's Carroll?"  
  
"She isn't there." John looked at them. "Come on, we have to go back to the house."  
  
"We can't." Donnie wrapped a protective arm around her back. "They could already be there."  
  
"That's a risk we'll need to take."  
  
"She's still got a concussion!" Donnie exclaimed. "If she gets hit with something, she could go into another coma!"  
  
"Donnie!" John's voice was clipped. "If Carroll is not waiting for us, it means she was caught. We are going back to the house."  
  
"No,  _we_  aren't."   
  
"Fine." The sound of boots hitting the dirt echoed around them. Pointing a gun at them, men formed a rough circle around them. "You are under S.H.I.E.L.D. arrest."  
  
~*~  
  
Donnie glanced around, noticing the same insignia on each of their jackets. "You sold us out."  
  
"It's nothing personal, Donnie." John stepped further back. "Just business."  
  
"You bas--" A gunshot rang out, and burning pain filled his body, concentrated around his shoulder. His left arm fell limply to his side. Everything blacked out as he hit the wood. A scream tore through the air, carrying his name. "Donnie!"  
  
Pushing through the haze, he saw Thalia stripping off her jacket, pressing it to his chest. A gasp of pain tore from his throat. Panic pushed up through his chest as two or three men approached them, pulling her away from him. "Stop!" she screamed, kicking at the empty air.   
  
And then John crouched over him. "See that? While you lay there, with a bullet through your shoulder, she's getting stolen away. This could've been avoided, had you only protected her." He pushed a knife tip into the bullet wound, causing Donnie to cry out in pain. "It's your fault you couldn't protect her."  
  
Standing up, John looked around. "Get him to the car."  
  
A large  _boom_  rocked the ground. People hit the pier, and a black laced boot hit the pier in front of his face. A low groan went through the woods.   
  
His shoulder having gone numb, Donnie felt his consciousness slipping away from him. It felt like a small trickle, then just gave way to the unending blackness.   
  
_No, stay awake,_  he could hear himself speak.  _Stay awake. She needs you_.   
  
"Thalia..." he was able to say her name. He focused on every aspect of it; the enunciation of each syllable, the way it made him smile inwardly. Anything to stay awake.  
  
"Donnie?" It wasn't her voice that replied. Instead, it was someone else's. Mister Quinn. "Donnie, what happened?"  
  
"He was saying it was my fault. My fault she was getting dragged away." Donnie was lifted up into someone's arms. "Where is she?"  
  
"She's unconscious," said Quinn, "Thalia went back to house and was hit in the back of the head with something. But she was able to notify me. Don't worry, she's fine. She's in the process of waking up."  
  
He turned to the person carrying Donnie. "We need to get them to Monaco. I have someone waiting there."  
  
And consciousness finally fell from his fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I love feedback!


	9. Blood Calls To Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I posted the last chapter, there were four. Now there are five. KITTENS. As fun as that sounds, imagine endless squealing throughout the night hours. And you get the reason why I didn't post. LACK OF SLEEP. Thank you to the editing program I used for the errors with this. Lifesaver, I tell you. But unfortunately, it didn't fix the weird highlighted words (they're probably blue and they link to ads and websites and it sucks horribly) so pardon the weird blue words.

It was a dreamless sleep. Nothing came to mind. He didn't have to worry about nightmares.

As he opened his eyes, a hospital room loomed in front of him. His arm was fixed to the side of his chest; he could see the sling that his hand hung out of.

Now that he was awake, things started coming back. Quinn. He had said something about going to Monaco. And then something else, something about Thalia getting back to the house.

Pushing himself out of bed, a doctor came in. "Ah, our young man." The [d](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=47778447#)octor came around to examine him. "How do you feel?"

"Where's Thalia?"

"The woman?" The doctor smiled softly. "She comes in here a lot. She is lovely and  polite."

"Where is she?"

"She's sleeping." He pointed to outside the room. "You can go see her. If you want. She'll show you to the bathroom."

Leading him outside, Donnie saw Thalia sleeping in a chair outside the room. "Thalia?"

"Hm?" She looked up, her dark eyes lighting up when she saw him. "Donnie!"

Jumping up, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shirt. "I'll give you two some privacy."

"Thalia, I'm fine."

"You were  _shot._ " She stated. "So don't you dare tell me you're fine."

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, right." Thalia separated herself from him, leading them down the hall to a door with the generic male/female stick figure drawings on the door. "Do you need help opening the door?"

"Well, I'm left handed, if that gave you any clues."

"I never knew you were left handed."

"Most people don't." He shrugged his shoulders, and stabbing pain streaked through his arm. "I had to learn to write with both hands. I write with my right, but people don't tend to notice that I use my left hand for almost everything else."

"I see." Thalia reached out and opened the door.

"Am I allowed to change?"

"Yes, I brought your clothes," Thalia produced a bag. "Do you need help?"

He gave her a deadpanned look. "Alright, alright. Just covering my bases."

"You're starting to sound like Carroll."

Her face fell. "Carroll's missing. She disappeared and they haven't found her."

Straightening up, she pushed the door open, letting him inside. After they were both inside, she flipped the deadbolt. "Now, I'm not going to lie. It's gonna hurt when I take that off."

Turning him around, Thalia pulled apart the velcro holding the sling together, easing his arm down to his side. He let out a hiss of pain.

"Sorry!" Thalia squeaked, setting the sling on the counter. Pulling a button down shirt from the bag, she tossed it over her shoulder. "So, because of the circumstances, they didn't put you in one of those ridiculous hospital gowns."

"Mister Quinn does it," Donnie said as Thalia began undoing the buttons on the front of his shirt. "He asks that they provide something that doesn't... I don't know, it's just him."

Shrugging off one sleeve, Thalia eased the other one off. A sterile white bandage covered his shoulder. "The bullet didn't hit any bones, but it did tear through a tendon."

"That sounds painful."

"Says the guy who got shot," Thalia retorted. "It was made out to be pretty crippling."

Taking the shirt from her shoulder, she eased it back up his bad arm, then eased it up the other arm, buttoning it. "There, all done."

She rolled up the sleeves, smiling softly. "Now all you need is to get that arm working again."

Placing his right hand on her cheek, she looked at him, dazed by the touch. "I'll be fine," he said. "Promise."

Bringing his lips to hers, she kissed back. He felt the sharp sting of electricity stung his cheek, where her fingers rubbed his skin. "Don't do that to me ever again."

He smiled. "I'll try not to."

~*~

Coulson stomped through the forest, Skye at his side. "At last, we finally find her."

"I know, Coulson," Skye said softly, looking between the trees. "I know."

Stopping at the edge of the woods, they looked out over a pond. Bodies were scattered everywhere. "What the hell..?"

"What happened?" Skye ran around the edge of the pond, dropping to her knees at the side of the first body. "Coulson, these guys are S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Blake, we have a dead strike team out here by the pond. What happened?"

"What are you talking about?" Blake snapped over the comm. "My strike team is on their way there right now."

"Then who are these people in S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team gear?"

"There aren't supposed to be any teams out there other than mine." Blake snapped.

"Well then who are they?"

~*~

Sitting in the cafeteria, Thalia picked at a salad when Quinn sat down next to her. "Miss Thalia."

"Mister Quinn." She regarded him curtly.

"I'm sorry for what happened in France," Quinn said. "It was just means to an end."

Thalia set her fork down. "Means to an end?"

"There's this woman," Quinn said. "And she wants you to create something for her."

"And?"

"She wants to move you. Without Donnie." Quinn shifted in his seat. "She tried moving in when we were outside Lyon."

"When Donnie got shot."

"Yes," Quinn replied. "I told her to find another chemist to make what she asked. But she insisted you were fit for the task."

"What did she ask for me to make?"

"A super soldier serum."

"Why?" She spun in her chair. "Why did she ask for me to make something that I don't know how to make?"

"She said he would be sending some items to assist you." Quinn stared at the floor. "They should be here in Monaco within the next few days."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Coulson is on the verge of a breakdown," Skye sighed. Jemma watched her intently.

"Why?"

"We sent in Anna over a month ago to track down someone who escaped transfer. She disappeared, and has forever since been within our reach, and then being yanked away. Coulson was her S.O. before the whole Avengers thing took place, and then when he left, she kinda drifted off.

"Then she got called in by Coulson to take care of the situation," Skye continued. "Anna got assigned to this, disappeared, and nobody's been able to pin her down." As a low afterthought, she added, "Except Donnie."

Jemma looked at her with interest. She smiled. "You think they're..."

"Oh, I don't think, I know." Skye raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Trust me, the lonely teenage scientist with the scared teenage girl who lost her memory?  _That_  combination is almost always, in itself, one to induce the feelings. Think of it: a dark, stormy night and some bad Chinese food and all those harbored feelings will come surfacing up." She laughed. "Me and Ward have a running bet: those two, next time we see them, are going to be all over each other. He bets opposite, saying she'll maintain professionalism, I say she won't. If she doesn't remember working for S.H.I.E.L.D., then she sure as hell won't mind cozying up to the guy."

Jemma stood up. Bumping into the holocom, Anna's papers scattered across the floor. "Damn it," she muttered, picking them up.

After filing all the papers back into a folder, she tucked it between two heavy books. Straightening up, she took out a phone, leaving the lab. Jemma followed her out.

"Skye, you sure you don't want to watch?"

"Actually, I think I do." She slid into a chair. "So, we got Carroll."

"Yes, we did." Coulson pulled up video feed from the interrogation room. Ward opened and shut the door, taking a seat across the table from Carroll.

"Miss Carroll, you are aware of the charges." Ward opened a file. "Aiding a fugitive, resisting arrest, kidnapping and holding a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent prisoner. You face losing your certification."

"The first two I'm aware of," Carroll said, "but the last one? No, Thalia is not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

"She is," Ward slid a file across the table. "Her name--" he pointed to a specific paper "--is Anna Crawford. Nineteen, moved from California to New York at age eight. Been under S.H.I.E.L.D. custody since she was nine."

"Your superiors lied to you," Carroll scoffed. "When Thalia underwent surgery, Mister Quinn asked I take some blood samples for testing. After she woke up from her coma, he asked me if I run the samples for any anomalies."

Ward looked shocked. "I am positive this is correct." He jabbed a finger at the file. "Maybe you're wrong."

"If there's one thing I'm not Agent Ward, it's wrong." Carroll sat back in her chair. "Because S.H.I.E.L.D. crafted a wonderful story. Want to know why she has such an attachment to your Agent Coulson?" She turned to the camera. "Thanks to the Rising Tide, when they leaked some sensitive S.H.I.E.L.D. files, Thalia's incident reports indicated he was there when she recovered in a nondescript hospital in New York. He was assigned to monitor her case. She was one of the first victims of the T.A.H.I.T.I. program."

Everyone was taken aback. "But instead of Tahiti implanted into her brain, and the GH-325 put into her system, they induced a coma, and implanted hazy memories of a house fire, then said she moved to New York after her home burned down." She glared at Ward and the camera. "You people are more monstrous than you realize. Stealing children away from their parents."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, my bad," Carroll said sourly. "I forgot to mention that the blood results came back, with one positive. One positive paternity test to Ian Quinn."

~*~

Donnie groaned as Thalia took the sling off. "It's for your own good. If you don't move it, that tendon's going to heal that way. And then you'll further injure yourself trying to move your arm."  
  
"I'm aware." Donnie touched his shoulder, wincing when his fingers came into contact with the bare skin. Ice crept across the bruising, and soon it felt numb. "It just hurts."  
  
"Donnie, it's going to hurt." Thalia put her hands on her hips. "You just have to plow through it."  
  
"Easy for you to say," Donnie grumbled.  
  
"At least you didn't stand the chance of dying. If my bones had caved and let that shard of metal through, I wouldn't be standing here."  
  
Thalia came up behind him. "Now," she said, taking his bicep. "I'm going to move your arm, and I want you to try and keep it in the position."  
  
Putting pressure on the muscle, she slowly lifted his arm, raising it to a right angle. Keeping a hand under his arm, her other hand prodded at the muscles in his back. He twitched when her fingertips pressed against his ribcage, and again when she poked under his arm. "Are you ticklish?" She asked, a smile forming on her face.  
  
"No, that was just uncomfortable."   
  
He lowered his arm. She sat down in front of him, a teasing smile on her face. "Donnie, it's nothing to get upset about."  
  
"Well, that bugged me."  
  
"It's uncomfortable at first. But it's just your first reaction," Thalia shrugged. "You get goosebumps."  
  
Standing back up, she handed him a glass of water and some painkillers. "Take these," she said. "It'll help."  
  
Swallowing the pills and water, they settled in the bottom of his stomach. Pulling his shirt on, he rubbed his now sore shoulder. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Well, of course you are," Thalia replied. "You're a boy. Do you you want me to bring you something?"  
  
"I can't come?"  
  
"Well, I didn't say you couldn't." Thalia raked through her hair with her fingers. "I asked if you wanted me to bring something back."  
  
"You could have just said so," Donnie replied. Coming up behind her, he brushed her hair off the right side of her face. Bringing his lips close to her ear, he whispered, "You don't always have to be so cryptic."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not speaking easy enough for you." He could hear the slightest trace of sarcasm in her comment.  
  
"It's okay," Donnie told her. "I'll figure it out."  
  
Kissing her hair, he moved away, careful not to lock eyes with the [n](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=48119580#)urse who entered. "Has he taken his painkillers?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Thalia replied. "Is it alright if we go down to the cafeteria?"  
  
"Well, I'm not stopping you." The nurse smiled at Thalia, who soon blushed. "Go right on ahead."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
The team sat in silence around the holocom.  
  
"So, she's Quinn's daughter." Coulson stared at the holocom in shock. A picture of Anna/Thalia popped up. She was planting a kiss on a Puerto Rican boy's cheek.  
  
"Is Anna her real name?"  
  
"I don't think so." Skye shook her head. "Coulson, can't you call Eyepatch--"  
  
"His name is Fury."  
  
"--and ask about this?"  
  
"Does  _Fury_  even know about this?"  
  
"I don't know." Coulson couldn't tear his gaze away from the holocom. "Although it could be possible."  
  
"Well, call him."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because after all S.H.I.E.L.D. has put her through, maybe we should just leave her be." Coulson looked up, his eyes haunted. "It would be what she wanted."  
  
"What about her research?" Skye asked. "And Parker?"  
  
"Why are you talking to him?"  
  
"He said if she's got something that someone wants, it'll end up with someone dead." Skye slid the phone across the table. "So what do we do with her research?"  
  
"We destroy it."  
  
"Funny you should say that," Jemma said sheepishly. "It's already gone."  
  
"Destroyed?"  
  
"More like stolen."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
"I say we leave them be."  
  
"But I still need to take vitals," the doctor snapped. "And I cannot do so while she is there. You are going to need to wake her up."  
  
"Why can't this wait until later?" Quinn asked.  
  
"Because his situation is different." The doctor snapped. "His tendon isn't healing back into place, but rather freezing. His blood is nitrogenous. I'm concerned."  
  
"Nitrogenous?"  
  
"When we saw the damage, it looked bad. He faced not being able to use that arm again, but instead, the damaged tendon began repairing itself, freeze-fusing the damage back together. And his blood has a similar chemical makeup to liquid nitrogen, freezing anything it comes into contact with."  
  
Looking into the room, Quinn's lips pulled up into a smile. Curled into Donnie's side, Thalia slept next to him, her head resting on his good shoulder and an arm draped across his chest.  
  
The doctor noticed Quinn's look. "She's stubborn, next to being sweet and polite."  
  
"I know." Quinn smiled. "She sticks to him like glue."  
  
The doctor glanced into the room. Donnie tilted his head towards Thalia's. The doctor inclined his head, and a nurse strode in, sticking a needle into his arm. Drawing out a vial of blood, it caused him to wince in his sleep. Once inside the syringe, Donnie's blood began to freeze, until it became a blood red cube of ice. "We can't get it to stay liquid long enough to study it."  
  
"Maybe it isn't meant to be studied."   
  
The doctor had his face set into a mask of annoyance. "She is stubborn, just like her father."  
  
"Yes," Quinn smiled. "She is."  
  
~*~  
  
Thalia let her eyes flutter open. Pleasurable cold tingles shot down her spine, and Donnie's fingertip skimmed past her ear. "Stop it, Donnie."  
  
"I remember you seemed to enjoy it," Donnie replied. "You were grabbing my shirt in your sleep."  
  
"What?" Thalia could feel a ridiculous blush creeping up her neck. "Wow, I--"  
  
"There's no need to apologize," Donnie said, smiling. "In retrospect, I almost suffocated you with my constrictor snuggling. My only good arm wrapped around you tight. The nurse threatened to inject me with lidocaine if she couldn't pry you out of my grip."  
  
"So, I see you two are awake." Quinn entered the room, a small smile on his face. "The doctors were upset she was asleep next to you. Interrupted their routine vital check."  
  
"Then that means I should go." Thalia threw her legs over the edge of the bed. Pins and needles shot through her legs. "Nope, I don't think so."  
  
Donnie offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry."  
  
She sat back against Donnie's chest, a flash of annoyance flitting across her face. "So," Quinn said, "I did not intend for us to end up here. I had a compound in the Italian countryside, which was her favorite, but when S.H.I.E.L.D. compromised it, they placed it under lockdown. So it seems we're stuck in Monaco for the time being."  
  
"Her favorite? Her, as in Thalia?" Donnie looked to Quinn with confusion.  
  
"I've never been to Italy before." Thalia scrunched her nose. "I would remember such a trip."  
  
"Well, there was this one time we went." Quinn looked lost in another time. "We had just gotten back from China, and you were wearing this blood red kimono dress, and your hair was up, with these gold dragon pins. And when we got to the house, our driver had asked where we had come from.  
  
"I had said China," Quinn continued. "And the driver said you looked like Mulan, with your dress."  
  
"Sorry, Mister Quinn. It isn't ringing a bell."  
  
When Quinn saw Thalia rubbing away a cramp in her left shoulder, he said, "There was another time, a week after we got back from Japan. One of my shareholders, Norika Sato, gave you a cherry blossom tree as a gift for your birthday."  
  
"Mister Quinn, please stop," Thalia stood up. Walking to the door, he stood up and followed her at a safe distance. "Donnie, I'm going down to the cafeteria. Do you want anything?"  
  
"One more thing," Quinn said. Slowly approaching Thalia, he took her arm, pinching both sides of her elbow and then pressing his thumb into the crook of her arm. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she passed out, falling against his front.  
  
Donnie scrambled out of bed, but Quinn shook his head, gesturing for Donnie to stop. "What the hell did you do to her?"  
  
"When Thalia was five, she managed to slam her arm in a car door. Dislocated her elbow." Quinn lifted Thalia into his arms, looping her arm around his neck. "She went to the hospital to get it fixed, and when the doctor popped her elbow back in, it pinched a nerve in her arm and made her pass out. Turns out the doctor didn't pop it in like he was supposed to, and that's why the nerve got pinched. But when you press on her elbow like that, she gets lightheaded and passes out."  
  
"You think she's your daughter simply because she faints when you pinch her elbow?"  
  
"Oh no, I ran a blood test when she was comatose."  
  
Donnie was momentarily taken aback. Then he shook his head and anger burned under his skin. "Well then why'd you do that?"  
  
"Because it'd make sense that something like that is something only her  _father_  would know about." Ian commented, shooting an annoyed glare at the other teenager. "And I would've thought with your IQ, you would've thought, 'how did Mister Quinn know that pinching Thalia's elbow like that would cause her to faint?'"  
  
"I was more concerned with if she's okay!"  
  
Thalia whimpered. "Shh," Ian said, laying her down on the hospital bed. She woke up, a scowl on her face. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"  
  
"Don't ever touch me like that again!"  
  
"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, don't yell at me."  
  
"You can piss off!" she snarled, rubbing her arm. "That hurt!"  
  
"Tally, I needed to prove to you I wasn't lying."  
  
"Well you weren't, good job." She scowled. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to eat."  
  
Storming out of the room, she slammed the door behind her. "Well, I'm going to see if she'll be up for an apology."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Jemma sat in her bunk, glowering at Anna's research file. It sat empty, as it had for the past few days ever since she had discovered it empty in her bunk. And the inscription was worse.  
  
_Jemma, I trust that you can keep this safe_.  
  
It was humiliating. She had been entrusted to keep it safe, and here, the end result, was an empty folder. That of which held the contents to literal power. And she now expected Coulson to come by any second to question her about the--  
  
"What do you mean they were _stolen?_ "  
  
"I mean someone hacked my bunk code and stole them." Jemma picked the file up and flipped it over, preventing Coulson from seeing the daunting note.  
  
"When?"  
  
"It must have been when Blake was here on the plane." A murderous look gleamed in his eyes. "Sir, Agent Blake is a respected agent, I'm not assuming he--"  
  
"That bastard," Coulson spat. "First the video, then he knew about the compound. If he took those papers, I swear I'll--"  
  
"Sir." Jemma cut off his angry threat. "I'm positive he didn't do it. They disappeared when Blake's ground team came to get Ward. Is it possible one of the men--"  
  
"No." Coulson grimaced. "That'd be breaking unmentionable amounts of protocol. Stealing research is punishable by life in S.H.I.E.L.D. prison. No research is tempting enough to be stolen."  
  
"Except when it's super soldier research," Jemma prodded. "If we have not made H.Q. aware of the fact that we are starting new research, then it's legal to confiscate it for investigation."  
  
"So whoever has the papers--"  
  
"--is submitting them for investigation." Jemma wanted nothing more than to turn her head and see the file full again. "And since she knows the real formula, when they find out that she's working for Quinn--"  
  
"They'll put a bullet in her head." Coulson looked at her in shock. "Simmons, what have we done?"  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Opening the door to the hotel room, Thalia sidestepped out of the way as Donnie came through. "Thank you," Donnie said to her as she shut the door behind him.   
  
"So, how's your arm feeling?"  
  
"It's actually pretty heavy, now that you mention it." He lifted the useless appendage in its sling, then dropped it. "And everything's hazy."  
  
"Is it now?"  
  
"Yeah," Donnie said. "I mean, it must be the drugs, but that shirt looks like it's mine."  
  
"Couldn't get anything past you, huh?" Thalia smiled as she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt. "Not even when you're in a drug induced haze."  
  
"Thalia, I am not in a drug induced haze." Donnie opened the window. Bright light streamed in, lighting up a patch of dark red carpet. He immediately shut his eyes, easing them back open. "So maybe I am. But that does not mean I won't be able to work."  
  
"Yes, it does." Thalia peered around the room. "'Do not operate heavy machinery'," she read off the painkiller label. "That means no work for you."  
  
"Fun sucker."  
  
"We're resorting to name calling again?" Thalia asked. "Snowman?"  
  
"That's harsh."  
  
Quinn entered the room. "So, have we settled in?"  
  
"He's loopy," Thalia said, pointing to Donnie and winding a finger around her head. "He needs to sleep it off."  
  
"I agree," Quinn replied. "Donnie, why don't you rest? Thalia and I have business to attend to."  
  
Nodding complacently, Donnie crawled into the bed, tossing a pillow over his head. Looking to Thalia, Quinn said, "Let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
Falling asleep was easy. Staying asleep was trickier.   
  
Even though everything was cold, he felt hot. Everything was freezing cold to his touch. But no ice formed. Somehow he considered this a blessing; he had hoped for (at some points) the icy touch to go away. It was--how would he put it?-- enthralling. Being able to freeze everything he touched was fascinating. But trying to cover it up was difficult.  
  
So how did Thalia mask her gifts so well?  
  
Not that he knew how, but Thalia was a [m](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=48119580#)aster in the art of keeping her "gifts", if either of them could call them that, under control. Having the ability to manipulate electricity and gravity must be a godsend; he figured she used her gifts for the heavy lifting (in the literal sense since her muscles were still healing).   
  
But what enthralled him was this simple question: How did she get those powers in the first place?  
  
Rolling over, his back was to the window. And yet, even in the cool atmosphere of the room, he was sweating. It was  uncomfortable, he realized, so throwing the blankets off, he made his way to the bathroom. Once inside, he splashed cold water on his face. Not feeling any cooler, he jumped in the shower, clothes and all.   
  
As the freezing cold water hammered against his back, he could feel his skin getting colder, returning to his new "normal" temperature. Or maybe that was just the effect of the water. Shaking his head, he pulled at his shirt. Yanking the wet fabric over his head, he hung it above the door. Red stained the front.   
  
_The bandage_.  
  
"Damn it," he muttered, yanking off the rest of his clothes. Blood stained them as well. As he pulled off the soaking wet bandage, the cold water stung his skin. Blood oozed from the hole, and the water was running red.   
  
Climbing out, he pressed his hand to his chest, wiping away all the blood as he wrapped a towel around his waist. As soon as he was close enough to the counter, he took out the first aid bag Thalia had tossed inside the cabinet earlier.   
  
Hydrogen peroxide. Antibiotics. Suture thread and needle. Bandages. But where was the gauze pads and tape?  
  
Digging around the bag, he finally produced the gauze pads and tape. Pressing a clean pad to the hole, he taped it down, proud of his improv patch up. Thalia would be pleased.   
  
Speaking of, where did her and Mister Quinn go? Shrugging, he moved from the bathroom back to the bedroom, looking for a change of clothes. The bag from the hospital sat on the corner of the bed, close to the bathroom. Looking inside, a clean change of clothes sat in the bag with a note. Picking it up, he smiled.  
  
_Donnie,  
  
I left a change of clothes for you. Mister Quinn and I- sorry, I forget that he's my... dad. It's confusing when I think of it; I mean, how could I have not been able to see the signs? The kind words, the way he just sort of lights up when I smile (kind of like you).   
  
Anyways, clothes! In the bag. I figured you'd be feeling pretty nasty after sleeping off those painkillers, so hope this helps. We'll be gone for a while (I think he said something about going off to the races..? I don't know), so he said order whatever. I hope we can be back by at least nine.   
  
-Thalia_  
  
Somehow, he could hear the sarcasm emanating from the note- almost as if he could hear her speak to him. Checking the clock, he frowned. 6:49 p.m. Another two hours or so, and they'd be back. Feeling sleep pulling at him, he changed and climbed back into bed.   
  
~*~  
  
Everything felt disconnected. Like someone pulled the power cord on her consciousness, the last brief moments flashed in front of her eyes.   
  
_Stepping onto the balcony, several people turned their heads to acknowledge them. Many looked shocked. "Ian, who is this?"  
  
"Gloria, Tom." Quinn acknowledged the two people who stood to greet them. "I would like you to meet my daughter, Thalia."  
  
"You've grown so much!" Gloria exclaimed. Approaching Thalia, she held a strand of black hair, examining her features. "She has your hair, Ian."  
  
"But she looks more like her mother," Tom pointed out. "Speaking of, where is Lorelei?"  
  
"I don't know," Quinn answered. "As soon as Thalia was born, she left, but didn't stay gone until after her sixth birthday."  
  
"Where has she been?"  
  
"When the house caught fire, she was taken off to a separate hospital. They told me since they couldn't ID her, they placed her in foster care."  
  
"Thalia, is it?" Gloria asked her. "Come with me."  
  
Taking Thalia's hand, Gloria led them to a table with the perfect balance of sun and shade. As soon as they sat down, Gloria placed her hands over Thalia's. "Dear, you're sparking."  
  
"Me?" Thalia asked, calming her nerves. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"It's alright dear," Gloria smiled. "You're with friends."  
  
Leaning in, Thalia gasped as Gloria's eyes slitted. "Fantastic, huh?" Gloria asked. Thalia nodded. "I used to work for Oscorp. Handled-who was it?- ah yes, Doctor Connors work after he was arrested. Cross species genetics. He worked with reptiles. Working late in the lab one night, and something went wrong. I blacked out. And then I woke up in my living room."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Tom was quite startled at first, but it got in my eyes. Made my eyes slitted. But I'm fine. With a little increased flexibility, although I assume that's because of my adventurous love life." Gloria sat back in her chair. "So, how did you get yours?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Ah, right, the accident." Gloria nodded her head. "It's okay."  
  
"So, morning Gloria, what are we witnessing today?"   
  
"Monaco Grand Prix." Gloria gestured to the racetrack. "I am hopeful Mister Stark will show. I have plenty of fresh ideas."  
  
"Sources say he isn't," Tom sat down in a chair next to Gloria. "Family emergency back in America."  
  
"I thought he didn't have family."  
  
"So did I. But somehow he has a godchild, vanished about two months ago. Him and Miss Potts are grief stricken."  
  
"Oh, the poor dears," Gloria frowned. "So, Thalia, are you ready for racing?"  
  
"I haven't seen any up close," Thalia admitted.  
  
"Don't worry," Tom assured her, "it can be so boring sometimes. But in the best way. If there's an accident, debris actually lands up here. Which is why you see people sitting further back."  
  
Sitting on her right, Quinn took her hand. "Believe it or not, Gloria's a wonderful person."  
  
"This charming woman?" Tom wrapped an arm around Gloria as cars zoomed by. "I'm surprised she isn't a mother."  
  
"Oh, stop it." Gloria slapped Tom's hand. "Look!"  
  
Looking down, cars flew by below. Until one erupted into flames, veering into the wall. "Everyone, please evacuate."  
  
"And only a hundred laps in? A new record!" Tom clapped as they stood up, making their way to the door. Filing out, their group got ushered through the door, and chaos had ensued on lower levels.  
  
"Stay close to me, Thalia."  
  
"Yes sir," Thalia nodded as she followed Quinn's movements down to the entry level. There, the group became disbanded as gunfire crackled through the floor. People screamed, and she covered her ears. Looking up, Gloria, Tom and Quinn were gone. "Dad?"  
  
She pushed against the crowd, trying to find a place to stand. "Dad!" she yelled, trying to catch his attention. "Dad!"  
  
"Thalia!"   
  
She pushed against the crowd as Quinn continued to call her name. When her head connected with a pillar, the world blacked out.  A hand grabbed hers and jerked her through the crowd. "Thalia, sweetheart, it's okay."  
  
"My head's spinning..."  
  
"Tom, can you hold her?"   
  
"Sure," Tom said, lifting her up and holding her off the ground. "Hey, we're going back to the hotel, just hang in there."  
  
"I just seem to be a trouble magnet, don't I?"_  
  
And that was the last she remembered before blacking out.   
  
Opening her eyes, her head seemed to have cleared. For a moment, she thought that they were back in Lyon, back in Donnie's room...  
  
"What happened?"  
  
The voice echoed above her, sleepy. The scenery changed, she now stood in the meadow. Dark storm [c](http://www.wattpad.com/mystories?compose=true&id=48119580#)louds roiled overhead.   
  
"What do you mean  _she short circuited?_ "  
  
And the scenery changed again, but now it was dark, the landscape speeding by. Flaring pain shot down her spine. She could feel her skin crawling, her muscles spasming, and for a moment she felt weightless; disconnected from everything.   
  
Someone forced her eyes open, shining a light. Gasping in pain, her brain tried to fend off the unknown attacker. "She's okay. Somehow, she short circuited from over expulsion of bioelectricity. She's going to be disoriented. We should let her sleep."  
  
Her nerves felt burnt. Everything felt short circuited.   
  
"She'll be okay though, right?"  
  
She recognized Donnie's worried tone immediately. "I've never seen anyone able to do this before." Tom's voice echoed through her skull. "Someone with such advanced control of electricity they can manipulate bioelectricity? You should have been there. It was astounding."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Something triggered a response in her head. This reaction allows her to expel enough power to kill someone." Tom sounded equal parts shocked and amazed. "She leaks electricity, which you see everyday in the form of her 'sparking', but she possesses so much excess electricity, she's capable of an energy release equal to that of a power plant the size of New York City."  
  
A cold finger brushed across her face. "Maybe it's best that she should sleep."  
  
"I'm gonna stay here," Donnie said. "Wait until she wakes up."  
  
"Then prepare to wait." Tom left, leaving Donnie alone.   
  
He sighed. "Thalia..." She could imagine him rubbing a hand across his face. "I swear, you are going to be the death of me."  
  
"Ever since the accident, I've felt guilty. It's my fault you got hurt, I won't deny that. When you woke up, I thought you'd be terrified of what I'd done, how bad I'd hurt you. But instead, you were nice. It was new to me. Why would anyone be friends with the weird kid? You, Thalia Lorelei Quinn, were a mystery.  
  
"Then came this whole issue between the two of us. I don't want to go into detail, but I felt jealous when the other guys at the compound would talk about you, and it made me furious. It disgusted me; I didn't even know you and I wanted to protect you from the things they said.   
  
"At first, I wanted to avoid you. Because I realized I... I realized I liked you, and you liked me back. I always thought that I was unworthy of your feelings. Everyone thought it was weird that you would showcase your feelings, and yet I'd turn away. They knew you liked me, and yet I turned away. They made me think something was wrong with me, only because I wouldn't take advantage of someone in a weakened state of mind.  
  
"But, then we kissed and I thought it was some kind of sick joke," Donnie said, almost like it was paining him to say it. "I thought you wanted to use me for your own gain. Like Quinn was with the spear. But then I saw what you did, and I thought, 'Why would anyone use me if they had nothing to gain from it?' You didn't make sense."  
  
The door opened. "How is she?"  
  
"Still out cold, sir." Donnie told Quinn.   
  
The door shut. "And then we found out that somehow, you were his daughter. Nothing scared me more at that moment than to see you just break so completely. It was like you found the missing link to everything. You'll never know what it is you've done to me," Donnie whispered the last part. Touching their foreheads together, he sighed.  
  
"So this is my once upon a time." She could hear her voice creaking, almost as if she had never used it before.   
  
He jumped up in shock. "You're awake! Please don't die on me," Donnie whispered into her shoulder. "I need you."  
  
"I'll try not to."  
  
He looked up at her, blue eyes filled with amusement. "Don't say that."  
  
"Make me."  
  
"Fine," Donnie said, pecking her on the lips. Lingering for a second too long, he felt the ice start to creep across her skin.  
  
He began to pull back when Thalia threw an arm around his neck, her nails digging into his skin.   
  
"Thalia, I can't." Donnie  tried prying her lips away from his. "What if I hurt you?"  
  
"I just sat through you unburdening your soul on me," Thalia said. "For once, quit worrying."  
  
Squaring their gazes, Donnie felt her hand come to rest on his cheek. "I'll be fine."  
  
The light began to fade. "Just maybe not this second," Thalia noted as she felt her body start to drag her back off to sleep. "Don't forget."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I need you too."  
  
~G.A.M.E.~  
  
Skye pushed a sandwich towards Carroll, who shoved it away. "Miss Carroll, please talk to us."  
  
The blonde threw an icy glare at her before turning back to face the wall. Huffing, Skye twisted in her chair to see the woman. "Why are you being so cold? I'm trying to help you, and you're pushing me away!"  
  
"Me being cold?" Carroll asked, laughing. "You have no idea."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The boy, he's cold," Carroll said, "in the figurative and literal sense. Only person that could get him to talk was Thalia."  
  
"Donnie's a lonely kid, he's isolated," Skye snapped. "He's gonna be a bit stiff in social etiquette."  
  
"That's not what I meant." Carroll turned around, plucking an olive off the sandwich. "She balances him out."  
  
"How?"  
  
"At the mall in France, how is it he was able to freeze your specialist into a block of ice, yet he didn't so much as make her shiver?"  
  
"I don't know, why?"  
  
"He loves her," Carroll said, popping the olive into her mouth. "Where you turned him away, she welcomed him. She saw in him something that nobody else did: a lonely kid in need of a friend. So that's what she did."  
  
"What does this do with him loving her?"  
  
"I can tell you from being in such close proximities with them that he sees her as a bright light." Carroll looked down to the table, running her fingernails along the grooves. "She shows him affection. And he uses that as a control. He uses that as a way to control the ice. She is his anchor."  
  
"Like what Isaac did on  _Teen Wolf_? His happy memories kept him from going crazy?"  
  
"I'm not getting your reference, but yes," Carroll nodded. "Thalia keeps him from hurting people. And since he's not hurting people, get off his case."  
  
"It's not him we want, it's her," Coulson interjected. Skye looked to the door, where he had his arms crossed. "We think this consumer wants to utilize her skills."  
  
"She already has," Carroll said. "Finished product got sent out about two weeks ago."  
  
"She created a super soldier serum in two weeks?"  
  
"What?" Carroll sat up. "No, they built a spear. Short shaft, long, wicked blade."  
  
"A lookalike Chitauri scepter?" Coulson's muscles tensed. "Why?"  
  
"This woman didn't wish to reveal her intentions," Carroll shook her head. "She just wanted Donnie and Thalia to make a lookalike." She turned her head to Coulson. "Wait, why would she ask Thalia to make a super soldier serum?"  
  
"We think Anna, sorry, Thalia," Skye corrected herself, "Thalia cracked it. Found out the original formula."  
  
"She knows the original formula?" Carroll looked like she was left out of the loop. "This woman said she wanted her to make something like that. Why am I just now finding this out?"  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"Well, I heard that someone finally cracked it, but I never thought a teenager did it!" Carroll began hyperventilating. "When did she do this?"  
  
"Months ago," Skye answered. "Why?"  
  
"Then you just put an innocent teenager's life on the line!" Carroll spat. "Let's see, shall we? Not only is she the missing daughter of a billionaire, she also knows the original formula and possesses a set of talents that many people would kill for!"  
  
"Talents?" Coulson scrunched his eyebrows together. "What talents?"  
  
"Gravitational manipulation, molecular density alteration, bioelectric manipulation," Carroll looked lethal at this point. "Which, if you didn't know at this point, allows one to control people and twist thoughts around."  
  
"Parker said she did that," Skye gaped. "And if our suspicions are confirmed, if she is Lorelei's daughter..."  
  
"Then you just handed this woman a ticking time bomb of a teenage girl." Carroll sneered. "And if she dies, let's just say hell's about to get a whole lot colder."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback! And thanks to the fancy dancy Hemingway Editor, I'll try and fix the chapters with the italics that didn't show up. I love comments!


	10. Easy Bruises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the sporadic updating, but if my stupid DC loving sister could stop watching Smallville long enough to lend me the damn laptop to update and actually, you know, DO SCHOOLWORK, (among other things) we'd be further along in this story. But alas. Oh, and on the twenty-ninth of April will mark the year anniversary I've been working on this, writing chapters, editing, researching and rewatching AoS to make this story as awesome as possible!

Donnie was in the woods again, following Thalia as she weaved through the trees. Small animals looked up, seeing two people, and yet making no conscious effort to be afraid.

_As soon as the edge of the meadow came into view, everything blurred, becoming a white, sterile hospital room. Doctors rushed around, carrying bloodied tools to be sanitized._

_"She's dying," he heard one doctor say. "She's losing too much blood."_

_He heard Carroll say, "It's a miracle she's been alive for this long. Whatever did this severed her carotid artery."_

No, not again...

_"Peter, you need to try and stitch up the vein. Otherwise it won't matter if we manage to stitch her neck up, she'll bleed out."_

_Looking down, he saw himself standing behind a two way mirror, staring into the operating room. A pale, bloody teenage girl was laid out on the operating table, her lips blue._

_He looked down to his hands. Blood was splattered along the backs, caked under his fingernails. Quinn stormed into the room. "What happened?"_

_"She thought they were trying to shoot at us," Donnie said softly. "She ran."_

_"Donnie, how did she get hurt?"_

_"I ran into her. Stumbled over the edge of the pavement. She hit the bench."_

_Quinn looked up to see the[doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#), Peter, remove a rusted, triangular piece of metal from her neck. A heart monitor began beeping erratically. "Damn it, Carroll. She's got tetanus."_

_"Get the syringe." Carroll took a small vial and drew a clear fluid into the syringe. "Peter, did you stitch up her carotid?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Good." Sticking the needle into her neck, Carroll pushed the plunger. The monitor began calming down. "Peter, get Wynter on the[line](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#). I need those x-rays as soon as they're done developing."_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_"Carroll, what is happening?" Quinn spoke through the microphone._

_"She's stable, for now," Carroll responded. "What on earth happened to her?"_

_"I'm in the[process](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) of figuring it out." Clicking off the microphone, Quinn looked at Donnie severely. "Donnie, if she dies, you're going to have to live with it for the rest of your life. You need to decide—"_

_Strangled choking came from the room. Looking_[back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) inside, the both of them nearly fainted as the girl began coughing up blood, the deep red a stark contrast against her [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) pallor skin.

_"No, no, no, no, no," Carroll chanted, running to the door. "Peter! Help!"_

Waking with a start, Donnie reflexively summoned the ice, only to realize there wasn't anyone around. Relaxing, it faded back. Laying back against the pillows, he let out a sigh.

"Donnie, what's wrong?"

He looked up to see Tom, wringing his hands. Donnie shook his head. "Nothing. I'm fine." He [scanned](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) the room. "Where's Thalia?"

"Gloria has her," Tom proffered. "They're down the hall. She said something along the lines of 'Thalia needing to have a little time with others of her species'."

Donnie clambered out of bed, his feet tangling in the bedsheets. "Whereas we are left our own devices," he grumbled. "Fantastic."

Tom let out a low whistle. "She must be some girl for you to get flustered and upset when she's gone."

Donnie didn't even bother to try and [deny](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) it. It'd be pointless. All the accusations were true, so why try?

"Yeah, some girl." Donnie furiously yanked at the sheets.

"Where did you meet a girl like that?"

"California."

"Like all great love affairs," Tom chuckled. "Gloria and I met in California."

Someone knocked on the door. "Tom, Gloria and Thalia are [waiting](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) outside."

"[Thank](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) you Ian," Tom said. "Come on, let's go."

"Why?" Donnie rubbed his eyes. "We're aren't going anywhere—"

"Yes, we are." Tom buttoned up his shirt. "Ian has [business](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) to attend to today, so we, the other remaining adults, are taking you out. So hurry up and change."

"Thalia must be enjoying this immensely."

"Now that you mention this, Gloria told me this morning that Thalia clung to you like a child clings to an object of [security](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#)."

"So she detests this as much as I do." Donnie smiled a little. "I knew it."

"Donnie?" Thalia's voice was behind the door this time. "Can I come in?"

"Well, there's nothing stopping you, is there?"

"How about unlocking the damn door, for starters?"

Tom's eyebrows shot up. "She's a snappish one."

"I heard that."

"Sorry," Donnie grumbled, shuffling past Tom and [opening](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) the door. A flash of black hair flew past him.

"Tom, it's pouring outside!" Thalia complained, throwing the heavy curtains aside. Lightning streaked across the sky. "What do we do?"

"Let me talk with Gloria." Tom hurried out of the room.

Turning around, Donnie [found](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) himself shocked. Thalia's black hair skimmed her arms. Her silver, floaty top danced in the air conditioned air. She shivered. "Does it need to be frigid in here?"

Shutting the air conditioner off, she turned to him. "Got a staring problem?" she asked, a smile playing at her lips. His eyes [studied](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) her face. "No," he replied, dazed at her appearance. "But you look beautiful."

"I _feel_ ridiculous," she scoffed. "Come on, off with it."

Reaching up to pull of his shirt, he felt the sudden jerk of his muscles, and an ache set in. Thalia immediately jumped in, working the shirt over his head. "Well, it's healed up," she [noted](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#). "You'll just have to retrain that muscle to do that specific function."

Tossing the shirt to the bed, she skimmed past him, taking one of his shirts from a laundry bag. Turning back, she handed it to him, watching as he pulled each sleeve on.

"Good," she nodded. Forcing a smile, she did up all the buttons. [Securing](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) the last one at the bottom, she looked up at him, a searching gaze in her eyes. "I still feel ridiculous."

"Don't be," Donnie told her. "You told me once that the only person you need to impress was someone who's attention you'd [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) captured."

"I did not."

"You did, once." He tucked a wispy piece of black hair [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) behind her ear. Leaning down, he captured her lips with his, hearing a soft gasp. "And a heads up: you [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) have."

Tracing her bottom lip with his tongue, she shivered. "That's not fair."

"Then even the odds." He challenged. 

She felt something flutter behind her stomach. [Winding](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) her arms around his neck, she dragged him down to her level, softly biting his lip. He groaned softly, feeling the smallest hints of cold start to push at his skin.

Lifting her at the hips, he set her on the edge of the bed, his hands skimming along her waist and back. Separating her lips from his, Thalia began feathering kisses along his jaw, working down his neck. As she gently sucked and nipped at his skin, he dug his fingernails into her back, feeling ice spread across her shoulder blades.

A ragged gasp escaped, and she brought her mouth back to his. Sweeping hair away from her face, Donnie placed gentle kisses down her cheek and jaw. Moaning quietly, her head fell back, baring her throat.

Unlacing Thalia's boots, Donnie pulled the shoes off her feet, sliding his hands up her calves. Lifting her up again, they moved to the center of the bed. Flashes of light danced across the ceiling.

"Imagine how screwed we'd be if somebody were to come in and see us." Thalia peered over his shoulder. "Imagine if _he_ came in here and saw us."

"Interesting choice of words, considering," Donnie said amusedly.

"Oh shut up," Thalia replied, trying to stifle laughter. "It wasn't like you weren't stopping anything."

"Excuse me, that was all _you_."

"Oh really?" Thalia smirked. "The blatantly sexual, and not to mention highly compromising [position](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) we're in? Along with the fact that you're the one pinning _me_ to the bed? Oh, of course not, this was all me, absolutely."

"You are incredibly sarcastic, you know that?"

"Uh huh," Thalia replied. Pushing him off her chest, she sat up, his touch lingering on her skin. Sitting with his chest to her back, she let him [wind](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) his arms around her waist. "Donnie?"

"Thalia?"

"What was life like for you?" She asked, craning her head to look at him. "Growing up."

"When I was nine, I linked all the phones together. With a little walkie talkie, I could hear any conversation. One time, I was [listening](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) to the lines..."

"And what?"

"My mom, she uh, was talking to someone. I never [found](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) out who it was, but a few months later, she left, saying she needed time away. My dad took it as personal offense. We had an [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) rocky relationship, but when she left, he faded out. The last time we held a halfway decent conversation was when Agent Weaver came."

"How did that turn out?"

"Lots of angry words." Donnie sighed heavily. "When I was packing my things, he said I walking out, just like my mom. He said he didn't want me coming back."

She twined her fingers with his. "I'm sorry."

"Then at the Academy, it only went downhill. The only person who really was a friend, and I'm throwing the term around loosely, was Seth Dormer. And as you know already, he died when the machine was struck by lightning."

"Was he [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) age?"

"I'm thinking he was quite a few years older than me," Donnie shrugged. "Why?"

"Nothing," Thalia shook her head quickly. She rubbed her neck. "Damn it."

"What?"

"That feeling when you get muscle spasms in [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) feet, I'm getting that my neck."

"Neck cramps?" Donnie rolled his eyes. "Thalia, we talked about the crypticism, remember?"

"Yes, neck cramps, whatever." She rolled her neck from side to side. "It hurts."

"Let me see." Brushing hair off her neck, he kissed the area [joining](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) her neck and shoulder. "There. All better."

The door breezed open. "All talked out with Gloria, she said [rain's](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) let up, and for you to hurry up."

Tom looked at them suspiciously. "Was I interrupting something, or..?"

"No, just talking." Thalia regarded him with a smile. "I better [wait](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) outside while you finish getting dressed."

Grabbing her boots from the floor, she headed for the door. Winking at him, she blushed as she shut the door.

Tom turned to Donnie. "So, lover boy, want to explain how the hickeys on your neck factor into this conversation you and Miss Quinn had?"

~G.A.M.E.~

Skye sat with Carroll in the interrogation room, clicking away at her [computer](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) when Carroll looked up, clearly annoyed with the amount of noise she was making.

"What are you doing that requires you to click the damn mouse on a regular basis?"

"I'm playing Scopa."

"The Italian card [game](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#)?"

"Yes," Skye frowned when she lost. "I [found](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) out about it last time I was in Italy."

"Getting shot must make for plenty of time [to play](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) a game that complicated."

"How did you..?"

"I keep hearing the one you call Ward say you shouldn't be moving around so much. Naturally I associated that with some kind of fatal injury, and then I think of how such was attained. Either shot or stabbed, but considering Quinn kept talking about how he had his own [orders](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#), I figured shot. He wasn't one for knives."

"You talked with Quinn?"

"Of course," Carroll nodded. "We spoke frequently on Thalia's condition."

"Why?"

"Her genetic makeup was making it difficult to keep up with recovery. Sometimes it super healed her neck, and at other times, it would rip itself [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) again." Carroll scowled. "Bloody hard time keeping up. Damn near ran out of suture thread."

Skye looked at her blankly. "That's..."

"Gross?" Carroll nodded her head and sighed exasperatedly. "Byrd thought so too. Said he'd never seen anything like it."

Skye just suddenly blurted out, "Why were working with Quinn?"

"At first, I detested having to. I was a good [doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#), and this killer had asked me to save someone who wasn't meant to be saved. Said she looked too much like a ghost to be a hallucination. Then, when the boy was gone, he asked me if I could run blood tests. He assured me it was just a precaution, but when the results came back, I grew scared."

"What do you mean 'wasn't meant to be saved'?"

"A girl like Thalia isn't supposed to [exist](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#)," Carroll said. "She's too caring, too innocent. And along with the fact that she's a half breed of a superior species, it's a strange miracle she's still alive. Usually, where half breeds form, the superior species will kill off the child." She frowned. "Or monster."

"Monster? Why would a half human child be a monster?"

"I heard this story while I was working on a brain tumor case in China. There was this attack on a small town in the Hunan Province of China, and everyone was dead, except for this small child. There were monsters, honest to God monsters, tearing [apart](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) the village looking for this child. And they never found it.

"Needless to say," Carroll [continued](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#), "I was scared because I didn't want her to die. I'd grown up with a rough life, and when I saw what she was, I didn't want her innocence to be ruined by his hand." Tears pricked at her's and Skye's eyes. "I wanted to keep her safe from him."

~*~

Thalia twirled Gloria's bracelet around her wrist as they stood under the umbrella. "So, Tom tells me you and Donnie had _quite_ the conversation earlier."

"Did he?" Thalia didn't mean to sound condescending; her mind was elsewhere.

"Yes," Gloria sounded amused, "he told me somehow he had acquired numerous hickeys during [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) stellar conversation." She smiled. "You have got to tell me how that happens, Thalia."

"Quit teasing her, Gloria," Tom said. "I think we've done a good enough [job](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) of embarrassing them without telling her father."

Her head snapped up, a dark glare attempting to pierce Tom's playful one. "You wouldn't dare."

"I could," Tom said. "But I won't. In retrospect, I didn't really go and talk to Gloria about the [rain](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#), so I suppose we're even."

"That's disgusting, why would you tell me that?"

"Just a reminder of why I'm not telling [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) father." Tom took the keys from the valet and opened the car door for them. Climbing in the back, Thalia hugged her sweater close to her as Donnie climbed in, his hair wet from the [rain](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#).

"To answer your question, no, I don't know where we're going."

"Who stole your sunshine, thundercloud?" Donnie asked teasingly.

"I don't know, where'd the ice go?" she asked teasingly. Then her playful front dropped. "Oh, that's right, all over me. I'm freezing. It's seventy-four [degrees](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) outside, and I'm wearing a sweater and my breath is steaming."

"He talked to you too, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Except he said he wouldn't tell because he wasn't really talking to Gloria about the [rain](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#)."

"Because I needed that [image](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#)."

"I know," She sighed. As the car started and took off, she traced a finger down the [window](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#), following a raindrop. Falling asleep, neither were paying attention to the frost slowly creeping across the window.

~G.A.M.E.~

"Um, Coulson?" Fitz approached the agent, wringing his hands. "Something's coming up on radar."

"Something like what?"

"A blizzard forming over Monaco." Coulson's eyes widened.

"Say that again."

"A blizzard like super storm is forming over Monaco."

"Ha! Ward owes me money!"

Coulson looked to her in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"Physical proof—" Skye tapped the screen "—that those two are [hooking up](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#). How else would a blizzard-like superstorm form? Ice combining with gravitational manipulation and electricity? It looks just like the Academy superstorm!"

"When's it gonna hit?"

"It's not forming very quickly, but it looks like it'll hit within the next few days or so."

"May, get us to Monaco."

"But sir—"

"We're going to end up getting [orders](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49113118#) from the Hub to handle the situation anyways," Coulson snapped. "Because as of right now, all of S.H.I.E.L.D. knows that Donnie escaped. We need to do this, because if another team finds out Thalia is with him, they will not hesitate to kill a 'rogue' agent."

"They don't know she can't remember!" Skye's jaw dropped.

"They won't care. Even if she doesn't remember, she's still a risk." Coulson went grim. "They won't hesitate to kill her if they can ID her. We have to do this."

"But sir, this storm also has the same properties as New Mexico." Ward looked at the screen. "And if we're assuming she's half Asgardian, then what could an ice storm combined with Asgardian readings have to do with her?"

~G.A.M.E.~

Donnie turned his head to see a large explosion. Plumes of smoke filled the [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). Coughing, he turned on the fan, and Thalia stood in the center of the smoke, holding something away from her body that was on fire.

Jumping up from his seat, he took a fire extinguisher, blasting it at the burning object. The object, a circuit, clattered to the ground. "What are you doing?"

"I was trying to fix this," she replied, kicking the charred board to his shoes. "Being in a lab that [studies](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) electricity, I figured I'd know what I was doing when I offered to look at the damn thing."

He picked up the charred circuit, sticking his finger through the gaping hole in the center of the board. "What was wrong?"

"They decided to not tell me that it was some kind of sick joke, a circuit meant to shock the recipient. Well, being the smartass I am, managed to dodge it only to find out it also had a small faulty part that blew up when too much electricity passed through it." She frowned, holding her hand gingerly. "Hence the shock and awe."

He noticed the odd motion. "Thalia, what happened to [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) hand?"

"I got burnt," she admitted, holding her hand out. Blisters bubbled along her right thumb, and some areas were actually blackened. Donnie gagged. "I think the black parts might have been electrical burns. The rest was fire damage."

Dragging her to his workbench, he sat down, pulling her down opposite him. Taking her hand gingerly, he touched the small untouched parts of her thumb and hand, and she bit her lip, screwing her eyes shut.

Ice crept slowly around the blisters. His fingertips touched the blackened parts of her hand, and she gripped his thigh, her fingernails digging into the fabric. She hung her head, and he could tell she was gritting her teeth in an effort to fight off the pain.

"Come on, we have to tell him."

She looked up, her eyes a wild mix of fear and desperation. "No!"

"Yes, Thalia," Donnie urged. "He's gonna notice you're lagging when [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) right hand is burned to a crisp."

"Fine," she bit out, standing up and heading for the door. Following her, he [opened](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) the door, and headed down the hall. Trailing after him, Thalia held her hand close to her chest, passing by a room filled with laughing scientists.

"I swear, I'll have to see the look on her face when she comes in here and complains about that faulty circuit," one of the younger male scientists chuckled.

"Mason, she's a temp," one of the older [female](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) scientists scolded him. "And one of Mister Quinn's special scientists. He told me she had a real knack for electricity."

"Ellie, quit acting so uptight," Mason snapped. "It's not like it could seriously injure her. It's only a mild shock."

Ellie glared at him. "Well, I'm refusing to stand up for you if he comes in here, demanding answers when she runs scared. She's just a kid."

"Thalia, come on." Donnie tugged on her good hand, and Ellie's glance shifted to her.

"Well, Mason, it was nice knowing you." Ellie turned [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to her writing.

Leading her to the main office, Donnie knocked twice, then came in. Quinn was talking to someone on the [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "[Listen](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), I just want the pieces delivered to this facility within the next twenty-four hours. I paid extra so it could get here faster. Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone, his gaze fixed on the two in the doorway. "Thalia, Donnie, how can I help you?"

"One of the scientists gave her a faulty circuit board that blew up." Donnie's jaw was set. "And she got hurt. Badly."

"What do you mean?" Quinn jumped up out of his chair and came around the desk. Donnie moved aside, and Quinn took her hand, turning it over, his eyes darkening when he saw the blackened skin. "Who made it?"

She was on the brink of tears. "I passed by this [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). Two people, Ellie and Mason--"

"Come with me," Quinn said sharply, [spinning](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her around and heading back down the hall. Barging into the break room, Ellie and Mason jumped. "Miss York, get the first aid kit, please."

Nodding, she vanished into the bathroom. He turned to Mason, absolutely livid. "Are you the one that gave Thalia a faulty circuit board?"

"I asked her to fix it." Mason's expression was set in stone. "I didn't know it was faulty."

"Well, [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) little board blew up and burned _my daughter's hand_." Ellie reappeared with the first aid kit, sitting Thalia down to try and bandage her hand. A look of pure shock passed between Ellie's and Mason's faces. He mouthed, "She's his kid" to Ellie, and her gaze nervously darted between Quinn and Thalia. "I want an explanation."

"It was his idea," Ellie grumbled, nodding her head to Mason.

"[Thanks](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) for leaving me high and dry, Ellie." Mason glared at the curly haired scientist. Turning back to Quinn, his arrogant expression melted away completely. "It was just a joke, sir. It was supposed to shock her!"

"Well, you'd do good to [listen](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) next time. I tell you I have some people who are good at what they do, you believe me. Even if they are teenagers." Quinn looked like he might strangle Mason at any second. "And she must be smarter than you, because it exploded after she deactivated the shocking mechanism. Apparently, it was a contingent."

Ellie winced as Thalia began crying, trying to work as fast as possible. Donnie visibly wilted when he heard her crying, and he sat down next to her, stroking her hair and letting her squeeze his hand.

Mason winced at her sobbing figure. "Mister Quinn, I--"

"I will be [contacting](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) boss," Quinn spat. "And you'd do good to stay away from her while she's still here. Because if you mess with her, I won't hesitate to let Donnie make the rest of their days here a living hell for you. Are we clear, Mister Quinto?"

Mason looked quite pale. "Yes, Mister Quinn."

"You are excused." Turning to Ellie, his expression softened. "How is it?"

"The blackened skin is done for," Ellie shook her head. "It's been burned far beyond salvage. The rest are third [degree](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) burns. Sir, I'd suggest she go to the hospital and get treated."

"Come on," Quinn took hold of the two teenagers, dragging them to his office. After he shut the door, he turned to Donnie. They began arguing amongst themselves. "You have to."

"I can't," Donnie pleaded. "Doing it so she could have extra time to heal from a fatal injury is one thing. But she has the right to choose."

"Choose what?"

"My gift extends to healing, as well." Donnie turned to her. "If I can put enough ice into your system, you'll fall asleep while the ice works to help speed up healing."

She cradled her hand. "How long will I be asleep?"

"It depends," he shrugged. "Reason why you fell into a coma after [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) surgery was because you were going to wake up before you had a chance to heal. Carroll asked us if there was anything either of us could do, so I made a device that dispensed the ice into your system. But I only made one, and that one is [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) in Florida."

A look of pain flashed across her face. "Do it."

"I'll give you two privacy, then." Quinn left the room. Turning to Thalia, Donnie closed his eyes as he pressed his lips to hers, concentrating the ice towards her heart. He hoped it would work. As soon as the ice [entered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her system, her knees buckled. Catching her, he felt the ice slowly make its course. Her head fell back, and a puff of steamed breath left her nostrils.

  
[Checking](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her hand, frost spread over the burned skin, which let the red slowly subside. The door opened, and Quinn looked in, taking her away from Donnie and cradling her in his arms. Another steamed exhale left her nose. Carrying her to the [car](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), one of the guards opened the door, and he eased inside, making sure not to slam any part of her in the door.

As the car took off, Donnie suddenly felt alone. Very alone.

***

Sitting at a small bistro in Monaco, Skye twirled her [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) and Thalia's phone in her hand. The hazy memory of crying slowly came back to her, and she unlocked the phone. Scrolling through the voicemails, she clicked the newest one that read "Sam".

_"Anna, where are you? I'm not sure if you're not answering your phone, or if you're mad at me, but when Parker knows more about this than I do, I need answers. Nobody will tell me a thing, and when I try and look up your mission status, you're listed as dead. Blake said it's none of my business looking for you._

_"What are you doing that's so damn dangerous you're listed as a nonexistent? Or did you do that? Because if you're trying to tell me to back off, it's not working."_

The click of the [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) line on the other end sent Skye's mind nosediving. Coulson sat down in front of her. "We have intel that Quinn [logged](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) two temps into a tesla coil lab here in Monaco. I need in."

"Yes sir," she said robotically, [opening](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her laptop and pulling up the building's info. "Alright, I got a meeting set up with the head of the building. He'll be expecting a Level Ten [clearance](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to come and talk about an impending investigation."

"Only Level Ten clearance agent we can get in less than twenty four hours is--"

"Anna Crawford," Skye said uneasily.

"Well then, I hope you share the same size as her."

***

Quinn looked at Thalia's resting face, and then to her hand, where the skin slowly turned blue. Pulling out his phone, he hit Dial 1. "This is Victor."

"Victor," Quinn seethed. "I am just about to kill Quinto."

"Ah, Ian," the rich voice on the other end regarded. "How can I [assist](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) you?"

"Mason Quinto gave one of the temps, my daughter, a faulty circuit board that blew up and burned her hand. She has to undergo treatment for severe third and fourth [degree](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) burns."

"I will talk to him about it, and whatever the cost is for her hand, I will pay it. But I have to get to the building, an investigator is on her way there."

"Why?"

"After Jovic got killed by that coil, I have investigators coming and going to try and find out how he died. Someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. is on her way over to figure out what happened."

"I got to go."

"Give [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) daughter my sincerest apologies."

Tapping on the [window](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), the driver turned to look at him. Looking down to Thalia's stirring figure, he said, "We need to head back and grab Donnie."

***

Donnie sat at the workbench, staring at the disastrous components. A woman looked down at him, a pair of goggles holding back her [short](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) red hair. "Well?"

"I would trash this, Ryan," Donnie said. Poking at it with a screwdriver, he asked, "Why would you cross the primary and secondary coils? That could kill someone."

"Good to know," she muttered. "You're sure you couldn't fix this?"

"Miss Kilpatrick," she glared at him. "[Sorry](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). Ryan, I have a PhD in Engineering, but even _I_ couldn't fix this."

"How old are you?"

"Almost nineteen."

"Nineteen!?" Ryan looked shocked. "How do you have a degree at nineteen? I'm getting my second PhD in Electrical Engineering in a few months, and I'm twenty-nine!"

"It's difficult to explain," Donnie replied. Mason came into the lab.

"Donnie Gill?"

"That's me." He stood up.

"Mister and Miss Quinn are [waiting](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) outside. You're leaving."

"I thought Thalia went to the hospital," Ryan whispered to Mason. "You know, after you pulled a dick move and burned her hand off."

"Oh, shut up, Kiljovic," Mason hissed, and Ryan flinched. "He's waiting for you."

"Kiljovic?" Donnie raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Ryan muttered. "See you later." She picked up the components and tossed them in the trash.

Heading out to the car, Quinn [opened](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) the door, moving out and switching sides. "She's asking for you."

"She's awake [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)?"

"The blisters are gone, so the majority of the pain is as well." Quinn became impatient. "Come on, let's go."

Sliding into the car, Thalia picked her head up off the upholstery, her eyes a dark blue. "Donnie?"

"Hey," he said softly, buckling his seatbelt as she crawled into his lap, resting her head on his chest. "What's up, sleepyhead?"

"My hand's blue," she frowned, holding up her hand. The skin was an ice blue, but the blisters were gone.

"It'll fade," he assured her. "I promise."

"Okay," she said sleepily, turning his face to hers and placing a kiss on his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Quinn smile, turning towards the [window](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). Her head fell [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), coming to rest on his shoulder. Another puff of steam left her nose.

"She must be pretty [tired](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)," Quinn said uneasily, "to do something like that."

"I don't think so."

Quinn's eyes [sparked](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), as if he was daring Donnie to challenge him. "Why do you say that, Mister Gill?"

"She's a very particular person," Donnie said. "If she does something, it isn't accidental. Whether she be half asleep or not."

"I just got her back," Quinn said quietly. "I'm not losing her to some crush."

"Sir, I don't know what happened while she was gone, but something tells me she's not going to let something like you telling her what to do stop her." Donnie dragged a finger along the [window](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), and ice trailed after it. "She won't even listen to me. So what makes you think she'll listen to you?"

Quinn's gaze was flinty. "You act like you control her."

"I'm not saying or insinuating I am," Donnie spoke levelly. "I was told to watch over her. She is my [friend](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), I would know how she acts. There is rarely a day that I don't see her. When I say I know her, I know her."

"Donnie," Quinn looked at him, his eyes a stormy blue. "I don't want her getting hurt. I don't want you hurting her."

He recoiled like his words were a slap to the face. "Why would I do that?"

"At the compounds, I saw the looks she gave you. The looks of adoration and fascination. She even wears [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) clothes, Donnie. You're leading her on, and soon, she's gonna realize you were lying to her about everything, and she'll be destroyed."

"I haven't lied to her about anything," Donnie growled. "I didn't know you had a daughter and then refused to tell her when she was at her weakest point. I didn't know she was a demigod and didn't tell her. I did, however, know she had [gifts](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) that made me feel just a little less isolated." He could feel red hot anger burning through him. "It seems to me, sir, that I'm not the one keeping secrets from her."

"That, in itself, is a lie," Quinn spat. "Carroll spoke with me after the surgeries. She said you almost killed her. If the metal had done any more damage, you could've killed her. You know what happened? Severed her--"

"Carotid artery and cut her throat," Donnie said quietly. "I know. I still have the nightmares."

"So then how is it you two became so [connected](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)?" Donnie could feel the tension between them. "I'm sure all the time you two spend together has to contribute to it. But it runs deeper, like blood bonds."

"She has two pints of my blood running through her body right now," Donnie said bravely. "She feels drawn because of the fact that my blood was what saved her life."

Quinn looked shocked. "When did that happen?"

"When you left after maybe the second part of the surgery, Carroll said she needed a blood transfusion from the blood loss. I volunteered. I figured it was the least I could do. Carroll told her shortly after you left that not only did I staunch the blood flow, I gave her my blood for the transfusion." His mood switched from angry to sour. "But how could you possibly know that? Being a businessman must be [busy](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) work. Shooting people when they find out too much."

Quinn's arrogant air instantly dropped. Donnie pressed forward. "Truth be, you are no better than I am. But at least I'm trying to atone for my screwups. I'm _trying_. Are you?"

The car hit a bump, and Thalia began twitching, whimpering and clutching her chest. Donnie calmed her, stroking her hair while whispering in her ear. She drifted [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) off to sleep. "How did you do that?"

"When we were in Lyon, Thalia got night terrors. I woke up countless times to find her crying out in the woods with no recollection of how she got there. So she began sleeping in my [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), always within arms distance of me. The night terrors stopped soon afterwards." Donnie smiled at her. "She said I would talk in my sleep, so I tell her things she'd normally hear while I was sleeping."

Before Quinn opened his mouth, the car stopped. "Back at the hotel, sir," the driver said gruffly. Nodding, Donnie slid out the car, readjusting his grip on Thalia's legs when something landed in her hair. Looking up, [snow](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) was falling from the sky in fat, fluffy snowflakes.

"Donnie, are you doing this?" Quinn looked up at the sky, touching a snowflake as it fell. "Because I don't find this funny at all."

"No, I'm not doing this." He looked at Thalia, sleeping peacefully under the snowfall. Thalia rubbed her cheek against Donnie's shirt. "Why is it cold?"

"It's [snowing](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), Thalia."

"Hm," she said sleepily, cracking an eye [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to see a snowflake land on her hand. Shaking it off, she went [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to sleep. Carrying her inside, people inside looked perplexed.

"[Snow](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)?" one person asked. "In June? Impossible!"

"Go see for yourself," Donnie said. [Checking](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her hand, the blue skin began fading, leaving unblemished skin. "All better."

"Good," she mumbled. Yawning, she began stretching her hand, flexing her fingers and running them across her hand. A shuddering yawn came over her, and she leaned back, touching her head to his chest. Her brown eyes looked up into his blue ones, and he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Can I sleep now?"

Donnie chuckled dryly. She'd been sleeping on and off for a while now. "Yes, Thalia, you can sleep now."

***

Something drove four stake like objects into her chest. Pain didn't come at first. But time did stop. And as a fifth one pushed at her skin, a scream finally tore from her throat, and then scenery was flying past her. Landing on her back, her hands fell to her chest, feeling blood bubbling up between her fingers.

Air rattled through her lungs. Until she realized that she had stopped breathing. Exhaling, pain tore through her body. Her fingers prodded, and she felt four ragged holes in her chest, puncturing lungs. That's why she couldn't breathe.

Blood, so much blood...

Black spots danced in her vision. Her skin felt like it was crawling, trying to knit itself back together, but something was forcing the wounds [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), keeping the blood flowing. Burning pain tore through her again, and somehow, she screamed. Screaming soon gave way to silent sobbing, watching her blood pool around her dying body. Everything was darkening. Growing darker and darker, until finally, she gave in, feeling cold darkness envelop her.

At that moment, someone screamed.

Feeling a hand under her head, someone tore at her ragged clothing. Ripping and tearing [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her front until she felt cold air dancing across her stomach. Something light and gauzy was pressed against her wounds, but it didn't help. Muddled voices sounded panicky above her head.

"Peter, do something!"

"I'm trying, Sam, I'm trying!" the one named Peter said, clearly in distress. "She's losing too much blood! And I'm running out of webbing!"

"What's that?" A girl asked, poking at her crawling skin. "It's looks like..."

"Venom," Peter said, horrified.

"She's going to die," the girl began sobbing. "She's dying!"

Someone was doing his best to try and remain calm. "We have to take her [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)."

"We can't!" the girl sobbed harder. "She's bleeding out! She'll die before we can get back in time!"

"The Emergency Protocol," Peter said, grabbing her wrist and pressing buttons on her watch. "Give me [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) communicators!"

Strapping them down to her wrists, he pressed each one once. Simultaneous shots of fire shot through her body, making her heart speed up.

"What did you do?"

"When you hit the red button, you get shot up with adrenaline. And then--" the boy's voice blurred out for a second before coming back "--notify them that someone's down and injured. They'll be here within seconds."

Her heart began hammering, beating faster and faster until she was pulled up from the darkness. Her eyelids fluttered. Someone put fingers on her throat, [checking](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her pulse while another person opened her eyes. Green eyes looked down at her, hope flickering. "She's responding," he said, looking at others out of her line of vision. "But just barely."

A white light shone down into her eyes, and then everything burned brighter and brighter.

"Thalia! Thalia, wake up!"

Somebody was shaking her violently. But she couldn't move, couldn't tear herself away from the dream.

As the bright light grew brighter and brighter, something stood in front of it. A man. He looked down on her, his face contorted into pain and horror. "What happened?"

Peter spoke quickly. "He impaled her. Went through both of her lungs. I'm not sure if he hit her heart."

"She's clocking nearly eighty percent blood loss," someone spoke quickly. "She has less than two [minutes](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) left."

"Where's the hyperbaric chamber?"

"[Back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) of the van."

"Get her inside," the voice [ordered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) stiffly. "Now."

Feeling like she was being picked up, her heart stuttered for a few beats before all the outside noise was silenced. Cold settled over her like a blanket, and she fell, feeling the darkness wrap around her.

"Thalia! Thalia! Wake up!" Someone [continued](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to shake her, and then freezing cold water was thrown over her. Her mind never registered the cold, feeling the water hit her skin. Nothing happened. "Thalia!"

"Donnie, get Tom!"

"She's having a night terror! She can't wake up!" Donnie said. "Tom won't be able to do anything!"

The darkness lifted, and she was laid out on a table, with people above her working quickly. "She needs the anti-venom," someone muttered. Feeling the prick of a needle in her arm, everything dulled, then amplified, pain tearing through her body. It felt like her skin was being peeled away from her bones. A groan of pain escaped her lips. "How is she still awake? We gave her enough drugs to put her under for the entire week!"

Shrieking noises filled her ears. Then a dark blue shape formed in front of her. "Contain it!"

"It's fighting to stay bonded!" Stabbing pain filled her body as the blue form was ripped away, leaving her feeling hollow.

Thump, thump, thump, thump... and then a last, hollow, thump.

"Her heart stopped," the [doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) said. "We have exactly ten minutes before she dies to [repair](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) her lungs."

"What are they doing?" the girl asked, fear reverberating through her voice. "Her heart's not beating anymore!"

"If her heart isn't beating, she isn't losing anymore blood." Peter assured the girl. "That gives them a small [window](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) of time to save her."

The feeling of surgical tools inside her chest became nullified as she drifted [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) under. The digital timer began beeping, chiming as each minute passed.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

"Almost there..."

The timer chimed one last time. "And done! Start it again!"

Her heart began beating. "I need all of our O-Positive for the transfusion."

"Yes doctor," voices faded as needles were pushed into her skin. Sludgy liquid began pumping through the needles and tubes. The pain roared up as it reached her heart. "Set up the vent."

Feeling oxygen creep into her lungs, she slumped against the table, the fight in her gone. "Now, she needs to sleep."

Sleep, what a beautiful idea...

"No! Stop! You'll kill her!"

Drifting through the darkness, she suddenly felt freezing cold, like she'd just been dunked in freezing cold water. Then water filled her lungs, and she coughed, hoping to expel the chlorine-tasting intruder. Hands were on her skin, pumping against her chest, pushing more water out. She rolled onto her side, seeing red mixed with the clear liquid.

"Can't breathe," she coughed, feeling her oxygen deprived brain start to shut down. Someone pinched her nose shut and pressed their lips to hers, breathing for her. Water bubbled up her throat and she coughed again, expelling more water out of her lungs. Her [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) arched, and she felt bile rising up. Forcing it down, the rest of the water came, and her arms pushed the person away, water spraying as she coughed up the last of it.

Someone wrapped a towel around her shoulders. "Thalia?"

"I told you not to do that!" Donnie spat, wiping blood off his mouth. "She almost drowned!"

Heart racing a mile a minute, she looked around. When did she [wind](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) up next to the pool? Her throat ached. Her lungs burned.

"What happened?"

Donnie glared at Quinn in disdain. "We left to get something to eat, and when we got back, you were crying and screaming in [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) sleep. But you couldn't wake up." He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her body with a towel. "Then he decides that hydroshock therapy is the perfect way to wake someone up from a night terror. Only it was the stupidest decision in the whole world, because what he didn't get was when you wake up, your brain is lacking oxygen. So you do what?"

"Don't you even start, Gill," Quinn growled. "I've seen my fair share of them. She could have been having the kind where she'll start inflicting damage on her own body because it happened in the dream. A woman suffocated herself during a night terror."

Thalia wiped at her face, and the towel came [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) red.

"It's irritation," Quinn assured her. "You were coughing a lot, and mixed with the fact that the stitches in [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) throat came out a few days ago..."

She nodded, getting his point. Donnie hugged her close to his chest, his heart hammering. "What was going on in your head?"

A moment of panic and fear skittered through her brain. "Can I go take a shower?"

Nodding, they stood up, heading back to their room. Shutting herself in the bathroom, she turned on the scalding water, stepping under it and letting the pool water, blood and terror wash off her completely. After stepping out, she roughly dried herself, dressing in dry and warm pajamas. After combing out her hair and drying it, she [stepped](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) out, seeing the light on the nightstand left on.

Sitting on the bed, the door [opened](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) and shut. Donnie came in, worry etched on his face. Sitting down next to her, she buried her face into his shirt, fresh tears staining the fabric. "It felt like I was dying."

"I know," he told her, wrapping his arms around her shaking body. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"I was dying." She wiped her eyes. "I could feel everything fading. I saw the blood, felt my torn skin. It was like I was watching myself die. Except I was. I blacked out, and then these people were there, trying to stop the bleeding, and one named Peter said I was losing too much blood. And then he shot me with adrenaline, and a boy with green eyes looked at me, saying I was barely responding."

Donnie rubbed his knuckles up and down her [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "What happened in the first place?"

"Something, well, four somethings, were shoved through my chest. Peter said he impaled me, puncturing my lungs."

"Who's 'he'?"

"I don't know," Thalia shrugged. "But they said I had almost bled out, and I kept blacking out." She looked at him, her eyes red. "That couldn't be real, could it?"

"No," Donnie shook his head. "Night terrors are supposed to scare you, make you believe they actually happened. But it didn't. I would know."

"Why?"

"When you were still in the hospital, I would get night terrors about the accident. In them, I'd watch in horror as you died in my arms, or some other twisted version. And then I'd wake up and run to [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) room and see you. I'd have meltdowns almost constantly. Sometimes, they even hit during the day."

"I'm [tired](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)." Thalia slipped under the blankets, curling into a ball.

"I'll just be a minute," Donnie stood up, [stepping](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) inside the bathroom. Looking at his reflection in the mirror he looked ragged; blood was smeared halfway across his face, he was pale.

Suddenly his reflection darkened. "When are you gonna tell her?" Mirror Donnie curled his lip in disgust. "About the scars?"

"I'm not," he told him. "If it gives her a piece of mind that they aren't real, I'm not going to say anything."

"But they are," Mirror Donnie smirked. "You know it. You just don't want to tell her. Because _you love her_."

"So?" Donnie washed her blood off his face.

"It's a weakness."

"Just because you think she makes me weak doesn't mean you have the authority to control me."

"But you forget," Mirror Donnie suddenly changed, becoming someone dark and twisted. "I _am_ you."

Wiping his hand over his face, [the image](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) disappeared, leaving him with his pale face, blue eyes and Thalia's tears in his shirt. After brushing his teeth, he slipped into bed next to her, the image of four stange crescent shaped scars between her ribs burning into his brain.

***

Pulling up to the building, Skye looked at the door. A bald man in a brown jacket stood outside, [waiting](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to greet her.

"Miss Crawford, pleasure to meet you," the man held his hand out. Skye kept her hands together. "I'm Victor Losset, head of this building."

"Victor," Skye acknowledged. "I understand I was [contacted](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) for the premises of a potential murder investigation?"

"Yes." Victor nodded. "Niko Jovic. He was a good friend of mine."

"Shall we go inside?" Skye hugged her jacket close to her body. "It's seasonably uncomfortable."

"I agree," Victor led them inside. "[Snow](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) in June? Most odd for Monaco."

"So, talk me through what happened."

"Ah, yes," Victor rubbed his chin. "Niko had stayed late at the lab, working on our tesla coil. He had been testing a part that our resident mechanic, Miss Kilpatrick had made. [According](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to one of our scientists, Miss York, someone had tampered with the coil, turning it on whilst the middle of modifications. It electrocuted him and he died."

"How was it tampered with?" Skye snuck a glance at her phone. No new messages.

"Someone had removed the emergency shutdown button," Victor elaborated. "The button was [installed](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) so if someone were to accidentally turn it on, it could be shut down."

"Uh huh," Skye was lead into the break [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#).

"I have to attend to a delivery," Victor said. "I'll be [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)."

Looking around, two people were in the room as well. "Ellie, did you restock the popcorn?"

"Yes, Mason."

"Who are you two?"

They turned around. "Ellie York and Mason Quinto." the woman volunteered. "Or rather known as me, and the one who's in deep with the boss."

"Why?"

"One of our backers showed up this morning with two of his temps," Ellie said. "And Mason thought it'd be hilarious to build a joke circuit board, intending to shock the temp who [offered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to fix it. Well, she outsmarted him, and deactivated the shock, and then it blew up."

"Wow, what a dick move."

"Ha! See?" A redhead came out of the bathroom. "I'm not the only one who thinks so!"

"Shut up, Ryan."

"Anyways," Ellie [continued](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), "it blew up. Burned her hand real badly. The backer was pissed, because not only did it injure one of his top temps, the temp that got burned was his daughter, Thalia." Skye looked to Mason with an eyebrow raised. "But when he asked me to look at it, it was bad. Third and fourth [degree](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) burns all over her hand." Ellie frowned. "They carried her out of here unconscious."

"They?"

"Yeah, the backer and his other temp, Donnie," Ellie nodded. "Took her to a hospital."

"Wow," Skye said in shock. "Did you happen to get pictures?"

"Of course I did," Ellie handed Skye her [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). Scrolling through the photos, Skye flinched and almost threw up when she saw the pictures. "Anyone who didn't flinch or puke clearly has a strong stomach."

"I didn't." Mason proffered.

"Well, that's because you are a soulless and heartless bastard."

"You're so nice."

"I try to be," Ellie sneered at Mason. Taking the [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) back, she looked at Skye blankly. "So does that answer any questions?"

"I think so," Skye felt her phone buzz. "My boss says I have to go."

"It was nice meeting you," Ellie waved goodbye. "I never caught [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) name."

"Anna."

"You don't look like an Anna," Mason pointed out. "You look more like a Skye."

Internally, she froze. "But of course, that's just my opinion. Most people think I'm a Samuel or Alexander."

She laughed awkwardly. Leaving the break [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), she darted to the van, climbing in and reversing the car before she could blink.

***

  
[Opening](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) his eyes, the clock read 10:19 a.m., but the sky made it look midnight. "What?"

"Shh, you'll wake her up." Ian glanced pointedly at Thalia. "She's been sleeping fitfully the entire night. Can't sleep more than twenty [minutes](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) without jolting awake."

"She's terrified," Donnie hugged her closer to his body. "That was the first one in weeks. She told me what happened. If I had that kind of night terror, I wouldn't be sleeping peacefully either."

"Why? What happened?"

"She said she could feel herself dying."

"Well, night terrors induce those kinds of feelings."

"No, she also stopped breathing. Her brain was shutting down from lack of oxygen. She was dying from asphyxiation." He watched in relief as her chest rose and fell, then she yawned, turning over.

"In some ways, she's still a child," Ian said sadly. "When she was little, she did that. Curled up into my chest, always [listening](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) for a heartbeat." he sighed. "But now she's stuck."

"Stuck how?"

"She acts like a teenager, and yet still has childish tendencies."

"Don't all teenagers do that?"

"In her case, it's fragile," Ian picked up a tendril of black hair. "Thalia doesn't remember growing up, doesn't remember anything. So she clings to whatever she can, from her tendency to listen for heartbeats while sleeping to you." He smiled. "You influence a lot of what she does."

"Except the cussing." Donnie smiled. "I think she might have gotten that partially from you, and then the rest from whatever happened Before."

"I don't ever do that in front of her," Ian said. "It's a habit. I never did when she or her sister were children."

"Thalia had a _sister_?"

"Half-sister." Ian's face fell. "She died in a house fire about ten or eleven years ago."

"How come Thalia never asks about her, then?"

"I don't know." He sighed heavily. "You'd never know they were related, Thalia and Veronica. Thalia had the darkest hair and dark brown eyes, whereas Veronica had this deep brown hair and blue eyes. They stuck together like glue. But Veronica was sick all the time, so Thalia would tell her when she got older, she'd make Veronica all better."

"And their moms?"

"I always got so confused with this," Ian laughed. "Thalia's mom, Lorelei, she had the reddest hair you'd ever see, combined with green eyes. But Lorelei said she got the brown eyes from her sister. And Veronica's mom, Marie, had black hair and brown eyes, but claims she got her eyes and hair from her brother."

"That's not weird at all."

"You're telling me," Ian said disbelievingly. "She's my child, and all I can tell you about how she turned out was she has my hair."

Thunder rocked the [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "What's going on outside?"

"Big storm," Ian said. "Been like that since yesterday. It might hit tonight."

Gloria came into the room. "Ian, it's ten-thirty. She isn't up yet."

"She couldn't sleep."

"Well, I'll come [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) at eleven-thirty, but she needs to be up by then. Needs to be ready by five for the party tonight."

"Party?"

"Gloria and Tom's friends are having a party here tonight. We, as usual, have been invited." Ian stood up. "I have some [business](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to attend to, so I'll be gone, but I'll be back before the party tonight."

Standing up, Ian ruffled Thalia's hair, then left. When the door shut, she yawned. "[Thank](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) God," she said, her words caught in the yawn.

"You were faking this whole time?"

"Not the whole time, just when Gloria came in," she yawned again. "Sometimes, that woman can be so overbearing."

"You are a scheming little minx," Donnie laughed. She rolled out of bed, vanishing into the bathroom. Emerging nearly ten [minutes](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) later, the shadows across her face were gone. Her brown and blue speckled eyes looked dark. "You look a lot better."

"I feel better," she sighed. "Although I'll have to do something about the sleep."

A mischievous glint [entered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) his eyes. With a small smile, he suggested, "I could tazer you."

She pushed him. "That's hilarious. Like it'd work anyways."

He pushed [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "We could try."

"We?" a playful smile crossed her face. "You'd put more effort into staying alive."

"Wanna bet?"

Crawling back into bed, she threw the sheets over her head. A few minutes later, she felt teeth softly nibbling at her earlobe. "Stop it," she said, although she wanted so badly for it to [continue](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). Little tingles shot down her spine.

"Have it [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) way," he murmured, pressing kisses against her jaw. When he neared her mouth, he pulled away, causing her to turn her head back.

"Why'd you do that?"

"You told me to stop," Donnie held up his hands. "I was under the impression you didn't want me to distract you."

"Well maybe I want to be distracted," Thalia pouted. "But you'd never know."

"Fine," Donnie pushed her down onto the bed, pinning her under him. "This distracting enough?"

"This'll distract me just fine," she smiled, reaching up to kiss him. Suddenly he jerked away. "What's wrong? Did I say something?"

"I'm [sorry](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)," Donnie said quietly. "I just had a..."

"Was it about Seth?"

"The first one," Donnie looked distant. "He planted the first one in the pool filter, and when he, Callie, and a [friend](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) of hers went to the pool, she had said that before his leg got stuck in the ice."

"First one?" Thalia knit her eyebrows together. "First ice machine?"

He nodded. Wrapping her arms around him, she nuzzled his neck. "You can talk to me about it," she said. "If you want to."

"I can't. You'd see me as a bad person."

"Why?"

"Someone died because of me," Donnie started to get choked up. "You almost died because of me. I don't want that hurting you."

"The only thing hurting me is you not talking to me," she said quietly. "You are on a short list of things I can hold onto, and you're pulling away. [Please](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) talk to me."

"Tonight," Donnie promised her. "I'll talk about it tonight."

"Promise?" She straightened up and held out her pinky finger. Smiling, he twirled his finger around hers.

"Promise."

***

Coulson sat in his office, staring down Agent Blake. "What have you come to taunt me about now? Another secret compound?"

"No," Blake snapped, "but not for unprofessionalism. I have sent in a team to scout out a [hotel](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) in Monaco where we believe Quinn and Donnie are."

Coulson paled. Ending the comm, he put his head in his hands, his heart rate getting higher and higher until he thought his heart would beat straight out of his chest.

Skye came in. "Hey, we're ready to go in," she said, noticing his despair. "What's wrong?"

"We're too late," Coulson rasped. "Too late."

"Why, what happened?"

"Blake sent in a scouting team," Coulson looked at her. He didn't look this pale since the whole thing with Tahiti. "They're scouting the building."

"Our building?"

"They'll be there in an hour."

"Then we'll be there in thirty," Skye said. "I'll start the [car](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)."

"And we were told not to interfere," Coulson said. "If we're caught anywhere near there, then we'll be put on probation."

"We aren't going." Skye began typing on her [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "But I know someone who can."

***

"So, why are you calling me?"

"Miles, I need to call a favor."

"Well, okay."

"I need to meet you at Grand Prix Café and Bistro in ten [minutes](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)."

"Why?"

Skye climbed into the van. "Because if you don't, innocent teenagers are going to get killed at the big party at [Hotel](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) Monaco. I need someone to go in and scramble S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment. It's important."

"If I do this, I'll lose my immunity with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"If you don't do this, Ian Quinn's daughter's going to lose her life."

"Ian Quinn's _daughter_?" Miles swerved out of the way of a car, as she could hear through the [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "When did he get a kid?"

"He's had one!" Skye pulled up the screen on her [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "She was taken under S.H.I.E.L.D. care after she couldn't be ID'ed after a housefire."

"I just looked that up," Miles said. "She is hot."

"She's nineteen," Skye grumbled. "And [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) has a boyfriend."

"Really? Who?"

"I never pegged you for being a gossip monger."

"I never guessed you'd end up working for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Miles shot [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). "But maybe we're both wrong."

"Fat chance."

"Anyways, Grand Prix Café and Bistro?"

"Yep." Skye saw a familiar scruffy looking young man walk up and sit down at a table. "I see you. Bye."

Screeching to a halt, she parked the car, climbed out and sat down opposite Miles. "So, about this daughter of Ian Quinn."

"Her name is Thalia," Skye handed him a picture. "She'll be attending this party at the [Hotel](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) Monaco."

"Why do I need to go?"

"Because a scouting team's going to try and track down somebody she's going to be [attached](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to."

"Which would be..?"

"This kid," Skye slipped him another picture. "Donnie Gill."

"This is the boyfriend?" Miles squinted at the paper. "Isn't this the kid that built the ice machine? I've heard rumors about what happened from that incident."

"Still shocked you're [listening](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) to higher up S.H.I.E.L.D. communications," Skye said amusedly.

"Still shocked you're working for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Miles fired back. "But anyway, you want me to scramble their signals and data streams. What's so [special](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) about that?"

"They can't see her," Skye pressed. "They cannot see her or be able to ID her."

"Why?"

"Because they'll assume she's crossed sides and is working for Quinn."

"Ian Quinn's daughter worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Miles looked at her in disbelief. "Well, that just goes to show you how royally screwed you guys are."

Skye pursed her lips together. "Why?"

"If Quinn finds out she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., it could be disastrous. He could pin them for kidnapping and child trafficking, seeing as they forced her into the system after the housefire." Miles remained expressionless. "Any other kids in their system would be rooted out and hunted down."

"[Wait](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#). What?"

"While listening to my gossip radio," Miles looked at her pointedly, "a few higher ups had been discussing the theory behind why [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) team was attempting at accessing her file. That thing is locked down tight. Even I couldn't crack it." He saw her look of confusion. "Only thing I could glean from it was there are other kids in their system. They're all based in New York."

"Is a kid named Peter on that list of kids?"

"Yeah, but he's the only kid in the system that still lives with his family. Or knows his family." Miles slid his [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) across the table. "Why?"

Scanning [the list](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#), the several names jumped out. "Sam Alexander."

"Yeah, he's in the 0-8-4 division," Miles drank his coffee. "Along with an Ava Ayala and Daniel Rand."

"Luke Cage?"

"Yep, him and Peter are in the Scientific Anomalies division. Whatever that means."

"So, are you going to do this or not?" Skye struggled to remain calm. Child trafficking. That was their [game](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#)?

"Yes, I will," Miles took his [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/49997994#) back. "Which means I better go."

"Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	11. A Song of Ice and Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha HA, my sister doesn't have the laptop tonight (thank you Hellyeah for the concert that made my sister relinquish control of it) so I thought I'd post again!

Skye stormed up the ramp. Coulson came down the stairs and was about to ask about her favor when she exploded.

"Child trafficking?!" Skye screamed in outrage. "The reason why we're trying to get Thalia [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) is so Quinn doesn't find out she was a victim of child trafficking?"

Everyone went silent. "I went to talk to Miles about our problem," Skye seethed. "And he said after doing a little [background](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) research, he found out S.H.I.E.L.D.'s into child trafficking."

Everyone looked to each other in panic. "Five other kids," Skye held up a hand. "Five other kids that he could find have been brought on by S.H.I.E.L.D. And two of those kids she knew," she yanked Anna's [phone](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) out and showed them the pictures of Sam and Peter.

"Child trafficking is illegal, Skye." Coulson grew upset. "We don't [deal](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) in matters like that."

"Really?" She pushed past him to the holocom, plugging in her phone and pulling up the files. "Sam Alexander. Eighteen. Brought on at age fifteen when his father disappeared. Soon afterwards, he wound up in the hospital with an 0-8-4, and S.H.I.E.L.D. swoops in, [offering](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) to help him. He accepts. He was loopy on drugs, Coulson!"

Before he could [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) his mouth, she pulled up another file. "Luke Cage. Obtained for 'custodial guardianship' pending to the investigation of his missing parents. Ava Ayala. Brought on at sixteen. Father was murdered by a man still at large, he left her with an 0-8-4. Approached by S.H.I.E.L.D., she accepts. Her family doesn't even know where she is."

"Skye!" Coulson yelled her name. She looked up at him, rage and hatred [searing](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) through her. Tears threatened to spill.

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn," she said, her throat closing. "Brought onto S.H.I.E.L.D. after a house fire killed her family. She was eight." Skye began sobbing. "We are monsters. These kids don't even know their parents."

"Luke's parents were recovered," Coulson said. "He lives with them now."

"It doesn't matter!" Skye screamed frustratedly. "They were placed under the impression they wanted to some good. What are they doing now?" She looked at Coulson. "Answer me!"

"They're vigilantes."

"They're vigilantes," Skye felt dirty. She [joined](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#) this organization because she wanted to help. "And what about Thalia, huh?" She swiped at angry tears. "What did she do? What was her purpose?"

"I don't know," Coulson shook his head. "That's Level Nine [clearance](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#)."

"You're not even trying!" Skye threw a fist at Coulson. Ward held her [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#), holding her arms behind her back as she screamed and cried. "Why aren't you trying to stop this? What they're doing is wrong!"

"We can't do anything," Coulson spoke quietly. "Blake said if we try and interfere..."

"I don't _give a damn_!" Skye fell to her knees. "She's out there, hurt and scared, with no clue what she's been through. Why can't they just leave her alone?"

"Because they're under [orders](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/51061365#)!" Coulson replied angrily. "And if we try and interfere, they'll think we're aiding a fugitive."

"Thalia isn't a fugitive!"

"Donnie is." Skye stood, confused with his statement. "Even though the Sandbox was in no position after the attacks to hold him, he never made it."

"So by helping her..."

"We're helping both of them. We'd be aiding a fugitive, Skye."

"So, she's dead either way."

"No, there's a small chance." Coulson let out a heavy sigh. "If Quinn can prove she is his daughter, she'll be under Quinn Worldwide's protection and a legal citizen of Malta. They—we—won't be able to touch her."

"Then what do we do?"

"We wait until after tonight," Coulson replied, the pain clear on his face. "After tonight, S.H.I.E.L.D. will back down and leave her be."

~G.A.M.E.~

Thalia passed by the grand staircase. Donnie trailed after her, rubbing his eyes. "Slow down."

"I don't have to," she said, abruptly stopping in the middle of the hallway. "It's not my problem you can't keep up."

Opening their door, she pulled a pillow to the edge of the bed, pulling the quilt back so it completely covered her. "Thalia, what are you doing?"

"Did you not see the note?"

"What note?"

"Gloria and Tom don't need us until three," Thalia told him. "So I'm going back to bed."

"Count me in," Donnie pulled the blankets back, placing a pillow next to hers. "I'm exhausted."

"Trying to catch up on the sleep you lost at SciTech?" Thalia asked teasingly.

"Maybe," Donnie replied vaguely. Tossing an arm over her waist, he pulled her in close to his chest. Running her fingers across his skin, she traced his right hand, fingertips rubbing the callouses along his fingers. She turned his hand over in hers, memorizing each inch of skin with her fingers. "You did scar," she said quietly, bringing his hand up to her lips and kissing the area between his thumb and index finger. Looking closely, he could see a jagged streak of pale skin- well, paler than his current skin tone-start at his knuckles and stop at his wrist. It faded downwards towards his thumb.

"Thalia?"

"Hm?"

"Can I kiss you?"

She turned her head to look at him. "That hasn't stopped you before, has it—"

He pressed his lips to hers, running his hand along her cheek. She placed her hand over his, her thumb running along the scar with delicacy.

Pulling away from him, she turned away, quickly falling asleep. But while she slept, her thumb absently ran up and down his hand. The movement felt like she was rubbing silk against his skin over and over. Soon he nodded off, the slight smell of flowers and something that was just Thalia filling his head.

"Look at them, Ian."

"I see them, Gloria." Ian said. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"Why, Ian?" Gloria asked innocently. "It isn't hurting anything. Or anyone."

"I suppose you're right," Ian agreed. "But I'm concerned about Thalia. Around him, she makes the lights flicker."

"She's fine," Gloria assured him. "It's just her gifts flaring up. Even the most disciplined people notice fluctuations in their powers when they are around loved ones."

"It's just I've never seen her act like this before."

"Ian, you've known she was your child a little under two months, you have no clue as to what she acts like. He, however, would."

"I'm not about to go asking a teenage boy what makes my daughter tick," Ian sounded annoyed. "It would seem all but appropriate."

"She's one of a kind, and her instruction manual lies in his head," Gloria teased him. "So go ahead, stumble through raising her with no clue as to going about talking to her, interacting with her."

"Now that you mention it, he did manage to soothe her while she was having nightmares."

"See?" Gloria asked mockingly. "He knows more about her than you do. So you'd be better off asking him, or just observing them if you're too shy to approach the boy."

The lights flickered. Gloria sighed. "She's dreaming of him."

"How can you tell?"

"The lightbulbs are frosting over." Gloria tapped a thin glass sconce with a nail. "She is just learning to control her newfound gifts. He tries to help her, but she only has a basic level of control with the ice. A level of control that's much lower than that of the electricity."

"Excuse me?"

"Tom said she can control bioelectricity," Gloria chattered excitedly. "People that can do that are rarer to find than Gravitonium. He said less than half a percent of the population can do this! Ah, I'm getting sidetracked. Bioelectric manipulation: the art of controlling one's thoughts and actions with a simple thought. She can make anyone do, see, or think anything she wants, and they won't remember a thing."

"That's amazing."

"Although Tom also says it's likely it wasn't a natural gift. Most likely acquired through some unknown outside contact, similar to the blood transfusion she received from Donnie. Although it also looks like she's had years to control it."

"Aliens." Quinn sounded mad. "She must have been in contact with them Before."

"Ian, you cannot blame yourself," Gloria said. "Oh Lord, is it three already?"

Gloria pulled the blankets back. "Thalia, Donnie, wake up, we need to get ready."

"No," Thalia moaned. "Come back later."

"Thalia, enough." Donnie separated himself from her, lifting her up off the bed.

"No, put me down," Thalia whined. Donnie smiled, pinching her knees. "Stop it!"

"Get up," Donnie set her feet on the floor. "We need to get ready."

"Do I have to?" she asked. Ian smiled at their playful banter.

"Yes, Thalia," Donnie told her, his tone final. "Now go."

She yawned, following Gloria out of the room. Turning to Donnie, Ian gave him a once over.

"Something wrong, sir?"

"No, but we need to get ready."

Nodding, Donnie went for the closet, taking the bag marked with his name and began changing.

"Donnie, how does she respond with you so well?"

He shrugged. "I guess it's because I think the same way she does. Well, sure, she disagrees with me and refuses to listen to me at some points, but it's only because I know what she's thinking and can anticipate what she'll do. It's led me to believe she probably did what she pleased Before."

"Great minds think alike," Ian thought aloud.

"Yes," Donnie said cautiously. "She is incredibly intelligent. She went over a schematic she created with me."

"What does she want to make?"

"A speaker," Donnie replied offhandedly, buttoning his shirt. "It can take the electricity out of the air and read it as sound. Much like regular speakers."

"She's mastered wireless energy transfer and has somehow managed to create a device that can read sound off the electricity in the air?" It sounded more like a wary comment instead of a question.

"Yes sir," Donnie said robotically. "She wants to begin building it as soon as she's allowed back into the lab."

"Well, she'll need to have her hand wrapped," Quinn told him. "After all, Mister Quinto and Miss York are under the impression she had to undergo skin grafts to save her hand."

"Understood." Donnie slipped on his shoes. "I've never been much for fancy events," Donnie grumbled.

"I can tell." Opening the door, he stood, waiting for Donnie. "So, shall we go?"

Following behind him, Donnie fidgeted with his jacket cuff. Coming down the stairs, they followed other guests to the garden, decorated with twinkling lights and a light dusting of snow.

"Gloria, Tom," Ian smiled. "Where is our lovely Thalia?"

"She's strolling the garden," Gloria said. "Poor thing got terrified so she went to clear her head." Peering around, she lit up. "Oh, here she comes."

Looking around Ian's frame, Donnie's jaw dropped. Thalia was unrecognizable; she looked so breathtakingly beautiful it, well, it took his breath away.

Her dress, white with long lace sleeves and a full skirt, drifted around her. Her black hair was manipulated into a messy bun, with pins that resembled icicles holding it together. She looked absolutely stunning.

Gloves were placed over her hands. Fingerless gloves for function, but when she saw him, she smiled, making him melt. "Donnie," she came up to him, wrapping her arms around him. Wrapping his arms around her back, he suddenly realized his hands were gliding across bare skin.

"Hey Thalia," he replied, hugging her in close to his body. "Nervous?"

"A little," she answered. Lowering herself to the ground, her shoes peeked out at him. "At least there are other people our age here."

"There are?"

"Yeah, out in the garden," She pointed to the entrance. "Two guys, a girl."

"I can tell when our welcome is worn," Donnie glanced around. "Let's go."

Taking her arm, they walked down the stairs and out into the garden. Red roses bloomed along the hedges. "Why do you get so nervous around these people? They have no clue who you are."

"No, but when he announces, everyone will know who I am. And then they'll swarm, and I might just end up having a panic attack."

"I'm right here," He squeezed her hand.

"I know, it's just—"

"Look who's back!" A boy with spiked brown hair cheered. "The Ice Queen! Genny, what's the name of the Ice Queen? The one from myth?"

"Khione was her name, Khan," Genny replied, sitting on the fountain edge. Her shoes were in her hand, matching her simple red halter dress. "Where'd Nick go?"

"Not a clue," Khan shrugged nonchalantly. "Who's this?"

"Donnie," Thalia answered. "He's my..."

"Boyfriend," Donnie added quickly.

"Boyfriend of Khione?" Khan smiled. "Wish I could hear the story behind that."

Ice crept along Thalia's arm. "It's complicated."

"So, the Blizzard creates Khione," Khan said, causing Donnie to tense up. "Dude, there's no need to panic. Teenagers can hardly keep their raging hormones in check, let alone the ice creeping up her arm."

Looking down, Donnie released her hand. The ice melted off. "Some kind of fancy gadget up your sleeve I should know about?"

"Yeah," Donnie said quickly. "Nitrogenous dispenser. Prototype."

"You're one of those brains, aren't you?" Khan asked. "You know, child genius and whatnot?"

"Sure," Thalia looked at him oddly. "Donnie, I really think we should get back, the storm's getting really bad."

"See ya," Khan waved, returning to sitting next to Genny.

Heading back quickly, they came back up the steps, Gloria looking for them. Rejoining their group, a few people began speaking. Khan and Genny waved from onstage.

Thalia waved back timidly. She shivered, and Donnie took off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Hugging her close to him, snow fell from the sky, and he watched as she reached out to catch a snowflake in her hand.

When everyone finished talking, Quinn looked to her. Taking her hand, the three made their way to the front. Stepping up onto the stage, Quinn began talking. "Tonight, we celebrate..."

~*~

"Tonight we celebrate a wonderful event," Quinn said. Coulson squinted as Quinn kept talking.

Skye looked up from her computer. "We ready?"

He nodded. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s there, but none of them have reporting seeing Donnie or Thalia."

"...And I have seen a face I haven't seen in years," Quinn looked off stage. "If you would please come up here."

Thalia looked stunning. She came up the stairs, then turned around to hand someone- most likely Donnie- their jacket back. Making a graceful spin, she continued to walk towards Quinn, coming to a stop at his side. "This young woman has changed my life in the past two months she's been with me," he said, smiling at her, causing her to blush, "I would like to introduce my daughter, Thalia."

Cheers went up around the stage, and she beamed, letting herself be enveloped in his arms. The camera panned out, and they both stepped off the stage. A dance floor lit up, and Quinn led Thalia off to dance.

Skye flipped her computer screen. "I see Donnie."

"Where?"

"Right there," she put a fingernail to a fuzzy figure near the bottom of the camera feed. "His back's turned to the camera."

"Then how do you know it's him?"

"She keeps glancing towards him," Skye pointed out. "She's nervous."

As soon as their dance was over, Thalia went to the edge of the crowd, pulling Donnie onto the dance floor. When the music started, they started twirling around the dance floor. "He looks nervous."

"Well, you get dragged out into sight of the camera, can't dance, and you'll be nervous too."

Donnie led their dance cautiously, holding his arm out when she spun. Then he pulled her back into him. New music began.

"'Take Flight' by Lindsey Stirling." Skye read off the screen. She watched in fascination as the two kept up with the beats, and the storm raged overhead. Snow began falling faster.

Suddenly, Thalia's dress was shifting and swirling as they spun faster and faster. They dipped as the violin dropped. Then they collided at the bridge, spinning slowly, and then speeding up near the end.

~*~

Applause and cheering roared in her ears. When the song ended, Donnie moved them off the dancefloor. Others congratulated them, and Quinn smiled. "That was a bit much."

"Wasn't my idea," Thalia held her hands up.

"Well, it's getting bad, the storm," Quinn said looked up to the sky. "We should probably head inside."

Heading up the grand stairs, they were stopped. "You can't go inside."

"My daughter is still recovering from a concussion," Quinn said matter of factly. "She could get sick. We need to get inside."

The leading man held up a badge. The familiar logo of the eagle glittered in the light. "I'm afraid not, sir. She'll just have to take that chance."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Hold up, what's going on?"

Skye looked at the feed. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s detaining them."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know," Skye tapped her keyboard. "Try and stop them." After hacking a comm, she held out the microphone.

Taking it, Coulson said, "Agents, this is Agent Coulson. Who's [orders](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) are you under to detain them?"

"Agent Blake's, sir."

"That girl is under the protection of Quinn Worldwide and the [country](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) of Malta," Coulson snapped. "She poses no threat to you. Neither do the others."

"Both men are [confirmed](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) fugitives, Agent Coulson." the leader's voice crackled. "And if Ian Quinn is her father, then she'll need to be taken in for questioning of her whereabouts."

"Who's the other confirmed fugitive, then?" Coulson needed [to play](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) it carefully. If he gave too much away, then Blake would know.

"Donnie Gill, sir." the leader clipped. "Responsible for the death of Seth Dormer. Ian Quinn is responsible for the attempted murder of an agent. She'll need to be questioned on her whereabouts."

"Why?"

"Sir, if this is who Mister Quinn claims she is, then she'll need to questioned on her whereabouts over the past eleven years."

"She can't remember!" Donnie said frustratedly. "She's got a concussion, remember?"

One of the men pointed a gun at him. "Quiet."

"Stop!" Thalia stood in front of Donnie, her arms outstretched. "You want to shoot him, you'll have to shoot me too."

The gun fired. An explosion of [sparks](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) erupted in front of them as Thalia held out her hands, the bullet lazily twirling in the air. Quinn stared as Thalia struggled to control the gravity.

"She's a [Gifted](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)!" All the men pointed their guns at them. "And is resisting the arrest of a fugitive. She's throwing herself out there to be arrested."

"Slipping..." Thalia's eyes rolled into the [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) of her head and she passed out, the bullet clattering to the ground.

"All of you are under arrest," the leader informed them, slipping handcuffs on Ian and Donnie, and zip ties around Thalia's wrists. Blood began leaking from her nose, dripping down her face and staining the delicate lace of her dress. "Get them inside."

"Agents, stand down!" Coulson ordered. "She is unconscious and could be suffering from a cerebral hematoma. She needs to be [checked](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) by a doctor!"

"Sorry sir, Agent Blake's [orders](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)." The comm clicked off.

~*~

Looking to Ian in panic, Donnie reached for Thalia, who was swept into an agent's arms and carried inside. Donnie was roughly shoved from behind, and he followed them inside, taking a seat in a chair next to Ian. The agent with Thalia sat down in a chair next to Donnie. Blood now stained the front of her dress, and it didn't look like it was stopping anytime [soon](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#).

"Henley, how is she?" the leader asked, swiping his finger across a tablet.

"Still unconscious," Henley pried an eye [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#). "I think Agent Coulson may have been right. She looks like she's hemorrhaging."

"How can you tell?"

"Her nosebleed should have stopped by now." Henley pinched the bridge of her nose. "Call one of our doctors out. She needs to be looked at."

The leader [entered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) the information on his tablet. Something must have come up that he didn't like, because he showed Henley. "Look at this."

"That's virtually impossible," Henley said. "The odds of that are..."

"Apparently thicker than we think, because that's what it's telling me." He shook the tablet. "Two and a half months ago, a Priority Red dropped off the grid. And we're just now picking up a daughter that Ian Quinn has. His only surviving child, I might add." Ian looked down to the floor. Clearly he didn't appreciate his personal life being thrown around. "Blake."

"What is it, Wate?" Blake's voice crackled over the comms from Donnie's hearing range.

"My tab's telling me something that I think you should look at," Wate said curtly. "And Henley needs a [doctor](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)."

"Was he injured?"

"No, he believes one of our suspects, Thalia Quinn, is suffering from cranial hematoma."

"Thalia Quinn? Ian's daughter?"

"Sir, you're just now finding this out?" Wate sounded annoyed. "That's going to be news for the next year."

"Anyways..."

"Oh, yes," Wate read from his tablet. "Thalia Quinn, [Registered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) Gifted, apparently exhibits powers of gravitational and magnetic--"

"Electromagnetic," Donnie [corrected](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) him. "It's electromagnetic."

"Gravitational and _electro_ magnetic manipulation," Wate rattled off. "She stopped a bullet going at over a hundred miles an hour with her mind. And it must have been a split second switch, because she blacked out and is in the middle of a nosebleed which still hasn't stopped."

"I'm about ten minutes out," Blake informed them. "I will check her when I get there."

"So," Wate pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Ian and Donnie. "How did she slip away from you for eleven years?"

"When the house caught fire," Ian said, pain reflecting in his eyes. "She was taken to a pediatric hospital and never made it. The ambulance crashed. When police finally investigated, both paramedics were gone. Along with Thalia. Official reason was she was picked up by another ambulance."

Wate scoffed. "Huh." [Checking](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) his tablet, he added, "If only."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"None of [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) business, kid," Wate spat at Donnie, who flinched back.

A man with salt and pepper hair [entered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) the room. Scanning the three of them with a severe look of disdain. "So, I have you."

Donnie glanced at Thalia. The blood stopped flowing, but she was still unconscious. "You." He looked to the man, who was glaring at him. "Do you know who I am?"

"Nope," he answered plainly. Blake glared deeper at the blatant (and very obvious) sarcasm Donnie was using to regard him. "Not a clue."

"I'm Agent Blake, of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"So that's where I've seen you from," Donnie replied bitterly.

"How long have you been with him?" Blake nodded his head to Ian.

"About two and a half months." Donnie kept sneaking nervous glances at Henley, who was still pinching the bridge of Thalia's nose. Turning in his chair, he looked at Henley disapprovingly. "Don't hold her head like that. She'll choke on the blood."

"Since when are you in a position to [order](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) my men around?" Blake sneered. "You are a teenager, a _fugitive_ of the law," he enunciated the word fugitive. Blake watched as Donnie's eyes darkened. "You hold no power over either of them."

"I took care of her," Donnie said, his voice struggling to stay [level](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#). "She is still recovering from a concussion. If you mistreat her, I'll--"

"Do what?" Blake crossed his arms over his chest. "Go ahead, try something."

"I will," Ian growled. "If my daughter is injured because of [your](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) missteps, then I will bury you."

"Sounds pretty threatening," Blake said sarcastically. "I might actually be scared of a man in a nice white jacket and a lovestruck teenager." Turning to Wate, he held out his hand. "The tablet, [please](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)." Swiping his finger across the screen, Blake's eyes bulged. "This is glitching."

"No, it's not." Wate scratched his head. "I've [already](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) ran diagnostics. Nothing's wrong."

"There is no possible way this teenager was a Level Ten Priority Red," Blake shook with anger. "Absolutely not."

The doors that Blake came through opened again. "Coulson, I knew you and your team would try and interfere," Blake snarled. "You interfered with our suspect interrogation."

"No, we didn't," Coulson [denied](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) his claims. "As a matter of fact, this isn't even an interrogation. Unless you've read them their rights, then they aren't suspects. You can't even put them in handcuffs." He let a small smile show. "Funny how our legal system works. Even if they are fugitives, you still have to read them their rights. Otherwise, you're aimlessly persecuting them."

Jemma and Fitz came forward, undoing their handcuffs. "Donnie, lay her out on the table," Jemma [ordered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#), and he complied. She took out a bag of medical supplies, and began cleaning the blood off her face.

Fitz glanced at Donnie, who was wiping blood off Thalia's face. He let a small smile surface, and he unlocked Quinn's handcuffs, who stood and rubbed his wrists.

"It's ironic," Quinn said. "S.H.I.E.L.D. coming to my daughter's rescue. I would've thought you came here to gloat, Agent Coulson."

"She's fine, sir," Jemma called out.

"Good," Coulson nodded. "I suppose this is the last time I will see you both on these terms and not in handcuffs, Mister Quinn and Mister Gill."

" _You're letting them go_?"

"Yeah, you're letting Quinn go?" Skye sounded disgusted over the comms.

"She needs a parent or legal guardian to watch her," Coulson looked at Ian. "And her father here is more than capable of doing so. And Donnie is the one that saved her life, if I'm [correct](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#). There'd be no point in putting them in custody. That'd be putting them back into a flawed system."

"I'm watching you, Coulson," Blake said, storming out of the [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#).

"Any men not on my team leave this room now," Coulson ordered. As soon as the room was empty of the other agents, save for Jemma and Fitz, Coulson turned on Quinn. "You are lucky I was here to deal with this."

"[Thank](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) you," Ian sounded genuine, stroking Thalia's hair. "I lost her once. I don't want to lose her again."

"And Donnie," Coulson turned to him. "Do right by her. She may not be Seth, but she's the only [friend](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) that's stuck around. Do not take this lightly when I say this, but right now she's the only reason you both aren't in handcuffs."

He nodded his head. Jemma yelped, and turning around, Coulson saw Thalia sitting up, shaking her head and struggling to remain upright due to the zipties holding her hands behind her back. Donnie was immediately at her side, helping her off the table and freeing her hands. "Come on, you need to get cleaned off."

She turned her head to see Coulson. "Oh my God, it's you." She put her hands over her mouth, shock [registering](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) on her features. "You were there."

Donnie's eyes flickered between her and Coulson. "There where?"

"There, in my dream," Thalia pointed at him. "He was with Peter and the boy with the green eyes. He put me in this thing, a hyperbaric chamber."

His face became stony. "FitzSimmons, let's go."

"Sweetheart, what are you talking about?" Quinn looked at Thalia, concern in his features.

"Her night terror," Donnie replied, the lightbulb in his brain switching on. "She says she saw him in her night terror."

"Come on, you're tired and covered in blood," Quinn wrapped a protective arm around Thalia's shoulder. "Let's head [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) to the room. You can get cleaned up and go to sleep."

"But I want to talk with him!" She pulled out of their grasps, heading after Coulson. "I saw him!"

"Honey, it was a bad dream." He stopped her, and her face fell as Coulson [disappeared](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#). "It was only a dream."

Ian looked to Donnie. "Why don't you take her upstairs? She looks like she could use some rest."

~*~

Helping Thalia into the [hotel room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#), Donnie eased her arm from around his shoulders. She kicked her shoes off and laid down on the bed.

"Go take a shower, Thalia."

"I'm [tired](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)."

"Well, do you want dried and crusted blood all over the bed?"

"No," her reply came out like a growl. "I'm going."

Leaving her ruined dress on the floor, she ducked into the bathroom. Donnie picked the dress up, scowling at the front. Blood was drying into the lace, making it look like someone was just killed in it. Rubbing the fabric between his fingers, blood crusted off and he noticed something odd about the fabric.

Snowflake patterned lace?

The shower shut off, and he dropped the dress [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) to the floor. Thalia came out, toweling her hair. He looked at her, curiosity in his eyes. "Who picked what you wore?"

"I did." Thalia hung her towel over the desk chair.

"Did you know that--"

"Yes, I added snowflake lace to the dress," Thalia finished his thought and sentence. "Why did you think those kids referred to me as Ice Queen and Khione?"

"Why?"

"It reminded me of you." She shrugged her shoulders. "I always have little reminders of everything. You influenced my dress, he influenced the color."

"How?"

"Quinn's always look good in white," Thalia replied. "Sharp contrast against skin tone and hair color. You don't think I haven't noticed? He wears it to stand out."

"And he stands out pretty far."

Thalia smiled. "I guess he does." She frowned at her dress. "Such a shame that had to be ruined, though."

Draping the dress against the desk, she ran her hands over the fabric, her eyes focused somewhere else. "It's just a dress, Thalia."

"I liked it."

Turning her around, he [scanned](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) her eyes. She looked lost, her gaze focused on a fixed point. "Thalia."

She snapped out of her reverie. Looking at her, her eyes looked mesmerizing, a deep shade of brown. She looked so unlike him, and yet she looked so much like him. "You're [tired](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#). Go to bed."

"Mmhm," she mumbled. Placing her head in her hand, she crawled into bed, her lids heavy as stone.

As [soon](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) as she nodded off, Ian came in. "She's asleep?"

Donnie nodded. "Good." Ian produced the tablet Blake had earlier. "Here."

"Where did you get this?"

"Those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents honestly don't pay attention. It's absolutely maddening and yet, oddly enough, very endearing." Quinn turned it on. "Were you paying attention to the conversation earlier?"

"Something about a [Level](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) Ten Priority Red," Donnie shrugged his shoulders. "And from what I know about working with them is an LTPR is a huge deal."

"What are they exactly?"

"Could be anything," Donnie said. "Weapons, experimental drugs and medicine. People. Most often than not, it's people. People that know critical information who've been put in life threatening situations."

"Franklin Hall."

"Sure." Donnie narrowed his eyes. "Why the sudden interest?"

"They said Thalia was an LTPR," Ian whispered.

"What would she know that--"

"That's not the point," he silenced Donnie. "The point is, they know."

"Know what?"

"They know something." Ian scowled. "I could see it."

"Do you have proof?"

"There's the proof," he pointed to the tablet in Donnie's hand. "That connects to the mainframe. The big server. If my daughter is a [Registered](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) Gifted, she should have a file. Find her file. We find the proof."

"Mister Quinn, we are sitting here in this room right now because of her," Donnie pointed to the unconscious teenage girl in the bed. "I am not [going back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) because you think S.H.I.E.L.D. purposely abducted Thalia."

"I never said that," Ian said.

"Well, that's what you're inferring," Donnie raised his hands in defense. "I was told to do right by her, that's what I'm doing. You're her father, you do this." He handed Ian the tablet [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#), going to bed.

~G.A.M.E.~

Jemma knocked on Coulson's door timidly. After hearing a "Come in" from the other side of the door, she twisted the knob, pushing it [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) and seeing a blue holographic screen.

"Sir?"

"You're here to ask me about what she meant," Coulson said, turning the screen towards her. "Her night terror."

  
[Stepping](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) into the room, her skin was lit an eerie blue as she read the words off the screen. "What happened?"

"She was, to my knowledge, a vigilante with them, until this accident sent her out for good," Coulson waved a hand. "A fight on the bridge ended badly. She somehow got skewered in the chest by a rogue science experiment."

Jemma's chest suddenly felt constricted. "The thing that did it, it fought against her natural healing abilities. Kept the wounds [open](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#), was an anticoagulant to her blood. Her heart was busy pumping blood out of her body while she slowly died of asphyxiation."

She forgot to breathe. "The two she referred to, Peter and the boy with the green eyes, Sam, were trying everything they could. In the end, Peter [found](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) a way to shoot her up with enough adrenaline to keep her from dying. When we got there, she was seconds away from dying on the pavement. So I told them to put her in the hyperbaric chamber, and she shut down. An inch from death."

Reading the medical [reports](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#), Jemma pointed to a blacked out section. "What's this?"

"Her [friends](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) were allowed to see the reports, but the versions they were shown were redacted for their own safety. Nobody wanted for them to find out she died." Coulson looked like he did when Skye was shot. "She never made it to HQ alive."

Jemma felt her jaw drop. "Then how did she survive?"

"Nobody knows," Coulson replied, shrugging. "She was dead when we brought her in, she'd been dead for less than a half hour. Then as they were about to stop, she just suddenly revived. They had to use that [window](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) of time to operate."

"I want to see the reports."

"I don't have access to them," Coulson said. "But she just suddenly began breathing, blood bubbling through the holes in her chest. Then she went into shock, and they had to put her under to operate. The [doctors](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) had their theories, but she was still conscious, able to resist enough drugs to put a normal person under for a while. A long while." A look of confusion flitted across his face. "But that was after they administered an anti-venom with rather astonishing results."

"What happened?" Jemma clicked on a video icon that popped up. A video from an operating [room](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) came up. The needle pushed into her skin, and then absolute chaos. Her skin began peeling itself away from her, losing it's beige color and turning a dark blue. "What on Earth is that?"

"A symbiote," Coulson answered. "Inorganic psychoreactive substance. Nasty Oscorp creation."

When the symbiote peeled itself away, shrieking pierced her ears. Then it was contained, being dragged off and out of the room. Jemma watched in fascination and horror as the doctors stitched her together and [restarted](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) her heart in under ten minutes. Thalia, Anna at the time, sagged against the table, succumbing to the drugs and pain. "My theory formed then that she was some degree Asgardian. No normal person should've survived that."

The video ended, and Jemma looked to Coulson, unease clear on her features. "Coulson, was she given any of the GH-325?"

"No. None was sent for."

"Because she just died," Jemma pointed to the screen. "That thing killed her during the surgery, and yet she still lived. Not even Asgardians can come [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) from death. So how did she?"

"I don't know!" She jumped when Coulson smashed his fist against the desk. "I've been investigating this since before Skye's accident."

"Blake said she was an LTPR," Jemma looked at him. "He doesn't have the clearance to know why, but what if she was given that [status](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) because..."

"It's possible," Coulson shrugged. "I'd have to go through all the files and find it. It could take weeks."

A icon came up on the screen. _Accept communication?_

Clicking accept, Blake's face filled the screen. "So, why were you there tonight?"

"We've been investigating the reappearance of Thalia Lorelei Quinn since Florida," Coulson answered smoothly. "She has become a person of interest when she pinged on the [search](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#) of the compound you conveniently didn't tell us about."

"I found these," Blake held up a loosely stapled set of papers. Anna's scrawled handwriting danced across [the pages](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#), mocking Jemma within an inch of her life. "Do you know what this is?"

"Agent Crawford was doing theoretical research for the missing key to Erskine's original formula," Coulson said. "She has the ability to do so. If I had a mind like hers, I'd be looking for it as well."

"It isn't theoretical, it's completed." Blake shook the papers. "Our life's work is right here, in the words of a twenty year old--"

Jemma knit her eyebrows in confusion. "Agent Crawford is only eighteen or nineteen years old, sir."

"What?" Blake looked surprised. "Her file says she's twenty."

"Well, last I saw her, she was nineteen."

"And it isn't fully completed," Jemma pointed out. "We still need to figure out how it incorporates."

"Then you need to find her," Blake bristled. "Because you need to realize that this more important than Quinn's teenage daughter."

As soon as the comm ended, Fitz came in. "Sir, the Academy just [contacted](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)."

"Why?"

"I ran the designs for the dispensing device and Thalia's jewelry over their mainframe. Someone responded."

"Who?"

"Callie Hannigan."

"Wasn't she friends with them?"

"She was Seth's [friend](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)," Fitz answered. "Do we need to go [back](http://www.wattpad.com/myworks/14006430/write/52082109#)? And interrogate her about her response?"

"I need Simmons to stay here," Coulson frowned. "So Skye will go with you."

Skye came in at the mention of her name. "Go where?"

"Back to the Academy."


	12. Kintsukuroi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using resin mixed with precious metals like gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to emptyvessels for a super super late birthday present. I hope it makes you happy!

Feeling incredibly heavy, Thalia began panicking, not being able to breathe. Suddenly, the weight lifted off her. "Thalia, what's wrong?"

"Donnie?" She opened her eyes. He looked down to her, his eyes wide. "I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

Sighing, he placed his forehead against hers, his icy breath mingling with her highly probable dragon breath. "That's not fair."

He smiled. "What isn't?"

"You don't get dragon breath."

"Well, I breathe ice, not fire." He moved away from her, stretching his arms over his head. "So there you go." Sliding off the bed, he tossed her a backwards glance. "You coming?"

"Where?"

"Breakfast. Where else?"

"I'm coming," Thalia stood up, following him out the door.

~*~

Squinting at the Academy outline, Skye frowned. "Damn, back to Nerd Academy."

"It's SciTech." Fitz followed her to the main lecture hall. A woman with wavy brown hair and tan skin waited there.

"Agent Fitz."

"Callie."

Callie came forward, her face set in a blank mask. "You got my message?"

"Yes we did." Skye stepped up.

"Can we go someplace private?" she asked. "People as of lately can't seem to stay off my case about Donnie and Seth."

"Are they threatening you?"

"No, all the attention is just uncomfortable." Leading the two across campus, she took them to her room, shutting the door behind her.

"So," Skye broke the awkward tension. "About the designs."

"Yes," Callie breathed. "A few weeks before this whole ice business went down, I drew up schematics for a dispensing device. It looked like a heart monitor—" She paused, going to her desk and pulling out a blueprint "—and it monitored heart rate, did other functions. But inside was a small vial, could be filled with medicine."

"What was the time span for the vial to distribute medicine?"

"A week or so, but—"

"What if it wasn't medicine?" Skye asked. "What if it was something else? Like blood?"

"Blood? Why would someone put blood in the vial?" Callie scrunched her eyebrows together.

"That doesn't matter," Fitz crossed his arms. "The jewelry designs?"

"Ah, yes," Callie sat down at her desk, rifling through old stacks of blueprints. "These."

Handing a rubber banded roll of schematics to Fitz, she pulled one out. A necklace was drawn out, with a numerous amount of applications to it. "An agent actually bought the designs from me."

"Someone bought your designs?" Fitz asked. "I thought you were supposed to show any projects like this to Agent Weaver."

"Well, the person that bought them from me was a Level Ten agent." Callie tucked the schematic back into the roll and set it on her desk. "She was here a few days before you guys got here."

"Did you get her name?"

"I think, but it'd be hard to forget her face." Callie searched her desk for a slip of paper. "Or this."

Examining the slip, Skye gasped. "She bought your designs for two grand?"

"An awful lot of money for an unfinished design, but she refused any less." Callie rubbed her hands together. "But she hung around for a few more days, and then I saw her again the night before you guys arrived. Half naked and with Seth's tongue halfway down her throat."

Skye pursed her lips. "That's a lovely image. But can you describe what she looked like?"

"She was about five foot four, dark hair," Callie said. "All I know."

"Anything else?"

"Um, yeah," She tucked her hands into her pockets. "She said she went by Anna."

~G.A.M.E.~

Sitting across from each other, Donnie and Thalia ate their food, still blinking away sleep. He tapped his fork on the edge of her plate. Looking up, his stomach did a flip with the look she gave him. "Yes?"

"Where is everyone?"

Thalia shrugged. "Beats me. I'm concerned about eating my food."

"And you tell me I eat a lot."

"You're a _boy,_ " Thalia said, her eyes giving emphasis. "You're going to eat a lot."

She pushed her plate away. Donnie immediately swooped in, piling her omelette onto his plate. "My point exactly," Thalia laughed as he wolfed her food and his food down in record time.

He looked up, smiling at her. Remaining expressionless, she took a strawberry, biting it and watching him stare. "Hungry?"

"You have no idea," Donnie replied.

"Well, too bad, it's mine." Thalia smirked, standing up and heading back to the room. Following after her, he pinned her against the door, his hands on her shoulders.

"Yours, huh?" he asked, watching as she slowly chewed on the strawberry.

"Yep," she answered, smiling roguishly. "But you ate already."

"And I'm still hungry."

"Well, that's too bad." She was about to swallow when Donnie pressed their lips together. Her arms went around his neck, still holding onto the strawberry. Biting her lip, he traced the tip of his tongue against the curve of her bottom lip.

"What are you two doing?"

~*~

"So, I've been analyzing the readings from Lyon when you and Skye went to the pier."

"And?"

"It seems Thalia can manipulate the virus." Jemma brought up their files. Different reports were highlighted. "Since she still contains the virus, it isn't contagious to anyone anymore. But she can trigger different aspects of the original strain." Energy readings were brought forward. "For example, the final energy blast before the host would die. That's how the men died at the pier. The electric pulse she emitted fried their brains."

Coulson made a face. "Interesting," he noted. "So if that killed them, why didn't it kill her?"

"I've been thinking about that," Jemma held up a finger. "When she was describing the virus' dormant state, she said the healthy cells died off, and the new infected cells that formed were able to suppress the shock that fried her brain. Instead, they somehow were created with the ability to contain and manipulate the electricity. As for the electromagnetic field manipulation, it adapted to work with her, so she could manipulate it when she wanted to, not when her emotions flared up."

Fitz came up onscreen. "Fitz, how did the Academy run go?" Jemma asked, a broad smile on her face. "Good news?"

Skye took the phone from Fitz. "Well, if by good you mean we found out Anna was at the Academy before us and was hooking up with Seth Dormer for access to the BioWeapons floor of the lab building, then sure, good news for everyone. And if by good you mean we also found out she drugged him and raided his room for something we never found, then even better news."

"What?" Jemma's and Coulson's faces were clearly showing confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Callie saw Seth making out with her through his window, and when she got there, he was passed out on the floor, and their room was trashed." Skye forwarded pictures to them. Obviously taken by Callie, they showed the room a trashed mess, with the desk swept clean and pulled open. Beds were thrown askew, and papers littered the floor. Seth was passed out on the floor. "But Seth claimed he'd gotten hammered at the Boiler Room, so she dropped the subject. So did everyone else—" Skye argued with Fitz before returning, "—until we did a second sweep of the room and found this." Another picture was forwarded. It looked like a retainer. "Had this weird stuff oozing out of it, until we ran it and found it to be some weird sedative. And it had their spit all over it."

"Then why wasn't she knocked out?" Fitz asked Skye.

"Because Anna/Thalia is a BioWeapons specialist and a geneticist, among other things," Skye answered offhandedly. "She made that sedative and delivery device herself. And it only affected him because that was its only purpose. Knock _him_ out."

"What was she looking for?"

"We don't know," Fitz replied. "Nothing implied she ever found it."

"Callie knew something was wrong after their thermodynamics test. He aced the test, when she was positive if he'd been drunk, he wouldn't be able to recall a thing. And his reflexes in the pool were slowed, which skewed her idea of him being drugged, because he could've also gotten that from—"

"Drinking too much at the Boiler Room," Jemma said. "She created a drug that can mirror symptoms of drunkenness and hangovers."

"The perfect weapon."

"But what confused me was how effective it was. She must've used that formula before," Skye mused. "A few times at least, because it was so accurate and precise it knocked him out in minutes. I mean it was only a twenty minute walk to his room from Callie's dorm, and she saw them through his window from about ten minutes out."

"A few times..?" Coulson said to himself. "Why a few—" His face contorted into shock. "Oh no."

"What?"

"She had five friends back in New York," Coulson looked shocked and surprised. "One by one, they blacked out and woke up with no memories of what happened. Each of them woke up and their room was trashed. Each of them reported something was taken." Coulson looked to Jemma. "She drugged her own friends."

~G.A.M.E.~

Gloria looked at the two with an expression that plainly said amusement. "Playful banter, I see?"

"Quite possibly," Thalia replied breathlessly, licking the juice from around her lips into her mouth. "It could also quite possibly be a moment between the two of us, so it'd be great if you could go back to whatever it was you're doing."

"Nice try, Quinn." Gloria dragged them into the room. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to the two. "Listen, I understand you two can't keep your hands off each other. I also understand that raging hormones are 'going to be the cause of this' too. But what he'll understand is you're trying to get in her pants for some kind of leverage at Quinn Worldwide."

"What?" Donnie looked genuinely shocked. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know why!" Gloria snapped. "So you're either going to need to come clean about it, or you two are going to need to stop doing whatever it is you're doing. Because if I found out, how long do you think it'll be before Tom finds out? Or perhaps her father?"

"He should probably expect something like this to happen at some point," Thalia pointed out. "After all, his very attractive teenage daughter and the guy he asked to remake the Blizzard machine?" She brought her fingers together, and flashes of electricity danced between her fingertips. "Tell me you didn't at least think of that."

"Actually, I didn't," Gloria looked surprised. "I think from an _adult's_ point of view."

"Well then there you go." The sarcasm flew straight over Thalia's head.

"Hold up," Donnie quieted their bickering. "How did you know he asked me to recreate the machine?"

"It happened last night," Thalia said. "Contrary to popular belief, I was still partially conscious. I heard him ask. Which speaking of, why didn't we talk last night?"

"You were passed out," Donnie replied. "I figured I'd wait until you woke up and were fully comprehensible before telling you."

"Tell her what?"

"Nothing," Donnie dismissed Gloria. "It's between Thalia and I."

The lights suddenly went out. The lights in their room flickered back on, but people were panicking in confusion. "What happened?"

"Let's go," Thalia said cautiously, standing up and heading outside. The hotel was plunged into darkness, but wherever Thalia walked, the lights flicked on, dying when she left.

"What is she?" People spoke in hushed tones as she passed. "How is she doing that?" someone asked Gloria as they made their way down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Thalia glanced around the room.

"The storm's knocked the power out," the receptionist replied, wringing her hands. "The technician's busy trying to get the backup generator on."

"Perhaps I could—" Thalia looked up and the chandelier lit up. Then a shower of sparks rained from the chandelier. People screamed, ducking out of the way. "Let me look at it."

"I don't know if you should," Gloria placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're already drawing a crowd, Thalia."

"It's that damn loose wire," the technician said. "Every time there's a power outage, it springs loose."

"Could I tape it back in?"

"Sure, just hop up," the tech formed a foothold with his hands. Thalia jumped up, looking at the base of the chandelier. "Take that plating off, and the loose wire just falls out."

Balancing the plating on the top of her head, she caught the tape, stretching her arms over her head to tape the wire in place.

Looking up to Thalia, the tech saw under her shirt, and Donnie smacked the technician. "Quit being a perv," Donnie scowled. "She could be some guy's girlfriend who is totally not okay with random guys looking under her clothes."

"Well, I don't see him anywhere," the technician fired back.

"Hey, I got it fixed!" Thalia called from above. Twisting the plating back on, the tech lowered her to the ground. She landed on the floor, and Donnie wrapped his arms around her. The tech shot him the dirtiest of looks before storming off.

"What's his problem?"

"Who knows," Donnie muttered. Heading back upstairs, he threw himself down on the bed.

"So, are we gonna talk now?"

~G.A.M.E.~

Coulson was still standing at the holocom when Fitz and Skye returned. "What was she doing?"

"Apparently running her own agenda," Skye replied. "She was running tasks for anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. who paid her well enough. Says here on her phone the last transaction she made was to track down stolen tech for a price of five hundred bucks."

"When?"

"Three days before our visit to the Academy."

Her phone pinged. "A.C., an online storage account just sent over something to her phone."

"Hook it up," Coulson ordered. Plugging in the teenager's phone, the screen was redirected to the big screen.

"Let's see," Skye muttered. "Transactions, emails from agents..."

"What for?"

"A Level Seven agent asked for her to track down the location of a Rising Tide pod, paid three grand. Another was a Level Nine agent requesting information pertaining to a case that she had, the agent paid four grand. A note says an extra fee was paid when additional information was found, an extra of nine thousand dollars. Coulson, this is serious money she's making. What was she selling?"

"She was an info broker," Coulson deduced. "Real secretive agents who gather information and sell it to highers and lowers for high sums. Real dark and dirty work, basically the black-ops of the information world."

"Anyways, pictures of..." Skye paled. "Oh my God."

"What?"

"The machine," Skye said quietly. "She knew. She knew what they were doing, she saw it." Sending up pictures to the big screen, everyone gasped in shock.

"The Academy papers, they make sense now," Jemma said. "My theory is her last transaction, the stolen tech, took her to the Academy. The tech was recovered from Donnie's room, and when she found it, she found the machine. Question is, what was the tech she was looking for? And how did it lead her to the machine?"

"What's that in the corner?"

May squinted. "Looks like a spider in a jar. Colorful; must be poisonous."

"Or it means that's the tech," Coulson pulled up the phone screen. Selecting contact Peter, the call screen.

"Anna?" Peter said. "No, no, I forget, she's missing. Who's this?"

"Peter Benjamin Parker, you best give me a damn good reason why you paid Anna five hundred bucks to track down your tech to the Academy."

"We are _still_ on my ass about that?" Peter sighed. "Coulson, look, when we were dealing with that guy, that guy who-shall-not-be-named, some kid in a hoodie decided to crash the party, quite literally because he stumbled off the sidewalk and dropped this weird cylinder thing, and froze us into an iceglobe. When we got out, I set one of my tracers on him. This kid disappeared with my tracer, so I asked her to track it down. She leaves, and calls me three days later, saying she found my tracer and the kid that had it, said she ended up doing rather unmentionable things to obtain my tracer. So how about we turn the tables on the conversation and let me ask you when did S.H.I.E.L.D. come up with the brilliant idea of creating its own supervillains?"

"Donnie Gill was a student of SciTech working for Quinn Worldwide, along with his roommate. And now, Anna/Thalia's disappearance has to do with him."

"Anna/Thalia? You finally caught on, huh?"

"Yes, we did."

"Excuse me," May interjected, "but how did a bunch of teenagers know about Thalia before we did?"

"Sam was told, and then your head honcho broke up Thalia's file and a gave a piece to each of us. Then when Anna drugged each of us, and we said something was stolen, well, that's what she stole. Thalia Quinn's file. Except it wasn't completely Thalia, because when she underwent the change, it began melding Anna's current information in. Right down to the accident."

Everyone looked at Coulson. "That's all. Goodbye."

"Coulson, wait," Peter said quickly, but Coulson ended the call.

"You better give us specifics, now."

"Thalia was brought to S.H.I.E.L.D. after the ambulance crashed," Coulson replied. "Back of her head split open, an inch from death. So, she was put under, stitched up, and while she was comatose, an agent gave her a new name, new family, new life. She went from the missing daughter of Ian Quinn to Anna Bree Crawford, the first born of Agent Emily Crawford with a father who died in battle. But unknowing to us, her foster mother went rogue, submitting her to torturous experiments. After events I wasn't present for, she was reclassified."

"Not those specifics," May said. "You knew, didn't you? You knew from the beginning, didn't you?"

"Yes." Coulson hung his head. "When I asked Simmons to swab the room Quinn was in, I figured you'd at least find it odd why I'd assume he could've been related to her."

"Who was the agent in charge of bringing her here?"

"Garrett."

"So Garrett was trying to recruit other kids, like he did Ward. Garrett was using S.H.I.E.L.D. as a front for recruiting."

~*~

"Donnie, wake up!"

He jolted awake as Thalia shook him. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"My necklace, I can't find it." She ran her hands through her hair. "Ohh, I can't find it..."

"What necklace?"

"My dad, he gave me a necklace before the party as a present. And now I can't find it!"

"Okay, Thalia, relax," Donnie yawned sleepily. "We'll find it. You can control metal, can't you? Could you sense it?"

"There's too much metal around me, I can't," she broke down, hysterical. "He's gonna kill me."

"What did it look like?"

"It was a thick-ish chain, held this large flower shaped charm, had a crystal in the middle..." she gasped. "I can feel it!"

"Where?"

"Somewhere far," she said, squeezing her eyes shut. "I think outside?"

"Come on," Donnie slipped his shoes on, taking her hands.

Leading him out of the room, he was dragged behind her, towards the doors to the back garden. Down the steps, they charged through the hedge maze, stopping at the fountain in the center.

She opened her eyes. "Donnie, where are we?"

"The back," he answered. "Where would the necklace be back here?"

Genny suddenly stood in front of them, Thalia's necklace sitting against her chest. "That explains it," Thalia muttered. "Genny, can I have my necklace?"

"Your necklace?" Genny sounded amused. "If it was yours, why did you leave it?"

"I didn't; you took it."

"It's an ice crystal," Genny fingered the flower charm. "It's ironic when your boyfriend's a walking snowman. And mine's a dragon."

Khan appeared, and their eyes began glowing orange, burning brighter and brighter. "Thalia!" Donnie pulled her down to the ground as streams of fire erupted over their heads.

"Quick reflexes," Thalia told him, rolling over and pushing herself up. Khan was on her in a second, throwing her back and landing in front of the fountain.

"Think of this as the end," Genny told Donnie. She loomed over him, her eyes glowing red. "For both of you."

He rolled towards a hedge as Genny's fire breath scorched the grass. "Dragon breath," Donnie said. "Literal dragon breath. Irony is lost on you, Thalia!"

"Irony," she mused, ducking under the edge of the fountain. Noticing how the edge bent when Khan touched it, she realized the fountain was metal. "I get it now!" she called back as she electrified the fountain, sending Khan flying back. Snow began falling.

Landing on the ground, his face began caving in on itself, his body melting away. Genny turned and saw, then ran to Khan's melting body. Thalia ran to Donnie, who looked as shocked as she was. "Donnie, what the hell are they?"

"I think they're Extremis soldiers," Donnie told her. "Mister Quinn told me about them. They breathe fire."

Thalia gave him a mock sarcastic look. "No kidding."

"You monsters!" Genny howled, her eyes a bright fiery red. Charging towards them, she was about to shoot fire at them when Thalia raised a hand in panic. The clouds above went pitch black, then lightning flashed, channeling through Thalia's body and out her hand, striking Genny.

Genny's face froze into place, along with the rest of her body. Her eyes remained their savage red. "Thalia, what did you do?"

"I think I froze her," Thalia answered Donnie, in awe. Poking at Genny's skin, it was ice cold. Quickly, she slipped her necklace off, the chain pooling in her hand. "She's a statue."

"Well, I now see how my blood has an effect on you." Thalia looked at Donnie, confused. "My blood is nitrogenous, and carries the same ability to freeze, no matter the host. That'd probably explain the storm; your gifts were melding with mine."

She looked up at the clearing clouds. "So I could..."

"Only if you concentrate it when you strike someone with electricity," Donnie clarified. "Otherwise, it's harmless."

"Good to know," Thalia said, slipping her necklace around her neck. Ian came out.

"What happened?"

"Storm's gone," Donnie pointed out, pointing at the sky.

"Extremis soldiers," Thalia pointed to Genny. Genny's snarling face was still frozen, and Ian scrunched his eyebrows together.

"Teenagers will do anything to get noticed," Ian commented sarcastically. "Even if it means attempting to kill one another."

"You really think this is something a teenager would do?"

"No," he shook his head. "But at this point, it doesn't matter." He put his hands on Thalia's and Donnie's shoulders. "We're leaving."

"Where?"

"Brazil."

~G.A.M.E.~

 

Stepping onto the plane, Donnie felt all sorts of bad feelings overcome him. Many ended up stemming from fear. He never really liked planes. Being an engineer, the second he saw the plane, his mind could automatically recall it's schematics: perfect sleek build, slim wings, an engine for speed. And then he could also recall it's possible problems: if the wings weren't tended to meticulously, then they could become deformed and alter the aerodynamics of the plane, causing the wings to get torn off at high speed flight. Along with the engine: if it wasn't meticulously tended to, then it could block up, then die.

Thalia shook him, passing by him in an attempt to get inside. That gave him a chance to clear his head. At this point, he didn't need to worry himself with quite possibly falling out of the sky, because he didn't need to worry Thalia with his chronic over thinking.

"Donnie, come on!"

Shaking his head, he stepped inside the plane. Upon seeing the inside, he could also recall the interior. Usually very lush; most likely this plane type was a private plane type.

"Hey, earth to Donnie," Thalia poked him. "All I see is your eyes darting back and forth."

"Sorry," he proffered feebly. "I saw this plane, and details just came to me."

"Details such as?"

"Plane body, the wings, the interior details and specifications."

"You've seen planes like this before?"

"I've studied their schematics."

Thalia scoffed. "Of course."

"Of course? You've got degrees in biochemistry and genetics. You could give me a play by play of how cells divide. We know cells divide, end of story."

"Something tells me you tanked biology."

"More like drove that subject into the ground. I have a PhD in Engineering for a reason," Donnie chuckled dryly. Sitting in a chair, Thalia held her necklace in her hand. He sat across from her, watching her furrow her brows in concentration. "What are you doing?"

"Silver's not magnetic, is it?"

"Afraid not," Donnie said. "Given your gift of electro-magnekinesis, you could probably sense it, but not manipulate it. Silver isn't a magnetic metal."

"That sounded more metal than the left half of the periodic table."

Donnie grinned impishly. Music began playing over the speakers. "Lana Del Rey?"

"Gods and Monsters," Donnie noted, recognizing the song from Thalia's playlist on his phone. "I think you left the Bluetooth on," he said, checking the icons across the IPhone screen.

"Don't turn the music off," Thalia pleaded. "Please."

"It could interfere with the radio," Donnie reasoned. He tossed her the earbuds. "Use these."

"Fine," Thalia took the tangle of white wires from his hand, fingers flying in and out of the tangled ball. In seconds, the earbuds were untangled, in her ears and playing music.

Standing up, Donnie paced the plane, turning for the umpteenth time and seeing Ian step onto the plane. "So, Mister Quinn, why Brazil?"

"I was discussing the latest species discovery in Rio with Gloria," Ian mused, "and it completely slipped my mind that I had a compound in Rio. I also arranged the materials to be brought to that compound."

"Don't you think we should tell Coulson?" Donnie asked. "That we're moving us and her to Brazil?"

"If they could track us from California to Monaco, they won't have a problem figuring out where we went."

"She is a legal citizen of both Malta and America. And on their Registered Gifted list. And is also an LTPR; so I'm going to assume it would be easy to find her. Speaking of, did you get anything off that tablet?"

"I thought you said you wanted nothing to do with that."

"I said I wasn't helping, I never said I didn't want to know what was being uncovered."

"No, I haven't found anything. Everything is incredibly confusing. I tried searching her name, but I didn't get anything. Nothing." Ian looked at Thalia, who had fallen asleep. "Have you been able to get any details out of her?"

"Favorite color," Donnie answered plainly. "About it."

"I need to go work on that tab. You stay here with her?"

Nodding, Donnie sat down opposite Thalia. Pulling her chair closer, he stood up, fiddling with the controls until it reclined. Finding a blanket, he tossed it over her body.

A thought just came to him. _What if she has nightmares? They might kill the engine._

Picking her up, he laid down underneath her. She shifted, curling into his side. Pulling the blanket up, Donnie wrapped his weak arm around her back, his hand clasping around her waist.

Staring at the ceiling, the soft sound of Lana Del Rey through the earbuds made him drift off to sleep.

~*~

Skye sat on her computer, going through the information from Anna's phone. Transactions. Pictures. Money transfers.

"What's there?"

"She hasn't spent a dime of the money she's gotten, so she's roughly got a quarter of a million dollars saved." Skye's eyes darted back and forth. "A.C., she's got dirt on everyone." She profusely blushed. "I didn't know you swam."

"What are you..?" he glanced at the screen. "How did she possibly get ahold of that?" he glowered. "Parker."

"What?"

"After a little altercation with an old friend, I spent an hour hanging from the ceiling in the principal's office of Midtown High wearing nothing but my underwear. He made a comment about my wearing briefs, I told him I swim. End of story."

"That's not something I needed to know."

"Sir?" Jemma entered the lounge. "Agent Blake wishes to speak with you."

Turning back to his office, he clicked the accept icon. This time, Blake was red faced. "I just love how we've gone from trusting each other to behaving like a pack of Neanderthals."

"Fitz hasn't put on a kilt, so we're not there yet." Coulson smiled. "How can I assist you?"

"Thalia isn't just Quinn's daughter, is she?"

"Aside from being half-Asgardian--"

"I meant other details!" Blake seethed. "She's the missing Priority Red, isn't she? ISN'T SHE?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Course you don't." Blake laughed sourly. "The Level Ten Priority Red, Anna Crawford, who was suspected to know the true identity of the Clairvoyant, is Thalia Quinn. Wate and Henley told me everything. Anna was called to you guys to track down Donnie Gill, and next thing we know, she's gone. Believed to be dead. Until in Lyon, it turned out she was alive. Being bounced from place to place; someone inside my team had actually managed to get ahold of those papers and tried shipping them to Quinn in Monaco. I intercepted them, curious as to why Quinn would want some missing agent's paperwork, and found that they were meant for his daughter, who was a major in BioWeapons, same as Crawford. The pieces started to come together. But what concerned me was how did he know so much about Thalia before he even knew?

"Then it hit me," Blake smiled victoriously. "He already knew. He knew before she showed up that the girl that Donnie Gill almost killed was his missing and only surviving child. Otherwise he wouldn't have broken countless American flight laws to get her to Florida so quickly. Ian Quinn, had she not been his daughter, would have let her die."

"That's impossible." Coulson felt like he was going to be sick. "She wasn't carrying any sort of identification on her. It'd have to be chance that he knew who she was."

"Or not." Blake stared him down. "If Anna Crawford was actually suspected of knowing the Clairvoyant known as John Garrett, then it's possible she did know, and everything was rigged from that point on. After all, he did bring her on after a house fire killed her said 'family', when the only people that died were her adoptive sister and her mother. Plus, it isn't hard to forget the Level Ten agent that drugged Seth Dormer, a cadet, which is against protocol, at the Academy. Donnie's computer webcam was on. Caught the whole thing. And the computer feed went straight to no place but Quinn Worldwide." His sneer only grew bigger. "And why wasn't she charged with anything? Because Fury made her a shadow. She's a ghost in the system. Same as Romanoff, she does dirty things that can be done off the books. And S.H.I.E.L.D. lets them."

Coulson looked shocked. "Scared, Coulson?" Blake asked. "You should be."

"Why would I be scared?"

"Because for once, you weren't in the loop. For once, you no longer hold the gauntlet for shady S.H.I.E.L.D. operations. As of right now, Thalia Quinn is a wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. person of interest. If she is seen, she is to be apprehended."

The comm ended. Coulson called on Skye and Jemma. When both women entered the room, he shut the door and locked it. "Thalia's in trouble."

"How?"

"Blake's onto her." Coulson felt his heart begin to pound. "He figured out Quinn and Garrett have been working together since the Academy. Garrett was working to try and give Thalia back."

"Why?"

"Because I think Hydra had intercepted her and was using her as leverage over Ian Quinn."

Skye looked horrified. "So in your vocabulary, 'intercepted' is just fancy talk for abduction."

"I suspect Garrett had been working with Quinn since the Academy to try and find some loophole to get Thalia back to Quinn without giving away his position."

"So, Quinn was working with Hydra because he thought in doing so, he would have Thalia back."

"Skye, I need you and Jemma to go through the mainframe, track down any information that can help us. I also need you, Skye, to contact Quinn and let them know."

"Yes sir," Skye nodded. Jemma nodded after her.

"Also, ladies," Coulson paused. "Keep your activity under the radar. If Blake finds out you guys are trying to track Donnie, Thalia and Quinn, he'll have this plane taken out of the sky. Find things that'll help us. Thalia's life depends on it."

~G.A.M.E.~

Ian stood up, tucking the tablet into his suitcase when his phone rang. _Unknown Number_.

Picking up, he heard a panicky female voice. "Quinn, you got a problem."

"If this has anything with the sour China deal, Norika, feel free to take it up with my assistant."

"What? No! This is Skye. And you're about to have a problem."

"Like?"

"Like S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to arrest Thalia."

He stood up quickly. " _What_?"

"Yeah," Skye spoke quietly. "Blake, that bastard, got the idea that because of Anna's shadow status, Thalia was able to get away with industrial espionage."

"Anna, who's Anna?"

"You're not gonna like this, but once upon a time, before me, so don't yell at me, Thalia worked for us. Different name, different everything, and being used as leverage against you."

He froze. "Why?"

"I don't know, we're working on it." Skye spoke with someone before returning. "Blake's trying to find you, specifically her."

"What do I need to do?"

"Hide yourselves," Skye said bluntly. "You need to leave Monaco, now."

"We're not even in Monaco anymore. We're on our way to my compound in--"

"Don't say its location over the phone. He could be listening."

"What about Donnie?"

"Him too," Skye said sharply. "Blake finds out where she is, your asses are grass and he's the lawnmower."

"What about Blake?"

"We are trying everything we can to stop him, but with the exception of our team and quite possibly few others, he's got the support from everyone else at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"If only my compound in Malta wasn't compromised!" Ian hissed. "Because we'd be safe there!"

"Quit your bitching!" Skye snapped. "It happened, and I'm terribly sorry, even though I had nothing to do with it..." Someone was talking to Skye. "Gotta go."

The line went dead. Sweeping the curtain aside, his stance relaxed at the sight of the two teenagers, still asleep. Taking a seat opposite them, he opened the tab. Seeing the blinking type icon, he typed in the name Anna.

_1 result- 040195._

Clicking the result, a spinning S.H.I.E.L.D. logo surfaced on the screen. _You do not have the proper clearance to view this file._

Donnie groaned in pain, moving Thalia's head off his shoulder. Then he climbed out of the chair, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He made a growling noise deep in his throat, then yawned.

"We'll be landing soon." Ian tucked the tablet away. "Might want to get her up."

Thalia curled into the chair, where Donnie was sleeping. Ian let a small smile show, and he stood up, gently shaking her small form. "Thalia, get up."

She roused, sitting up and using her arms for support. "Dad?" she said sleepily, slowly closing her eyes and yawning.

"Hey, come on, get up," he helped her out of the chair, pulling it back up into normal position.

Bringing the plane to the runway, they sat down as the plane collided with the pavement, waiting as the plane slowed to a stop.

"Come on." Donnie helped her stand, untangling his earbuds from her hair. Wrapping them around his phone, the tucked it into his pocket, following the group out to the runway. Climbing into the car that awaited them, a shuddering yawn wracked his body.

Closing his eyes for a brief few seconds, he opened them and saw a large house in front of them. Thalia laughed musically, climbing over him to get out of the car.

Heat surrounded him like a muggy fog, making sweat bead on his forehead. Shedding his jacket, he followed Thalia up the stairs, entering the air conditioned house. He made a noise deep in his throat, a noise that sounded like a cross between frustration and annoyance.

"Hot?" Thalia asked, eyeing his pained expression. He nodded, shedding his thermal shirt. Usually that kept him warm, but right now, it was the one thing that might make him pass out from heat exhaustion.

"It feels like a sauna."

"Well, coming from the guy dressing for November in Pennsylvania, it would."

He kissed the top of her head. "You're sweating too."

"Like a white girl from Minnesota."

They saw guards passing by wearing heavy gear. "Although, that's hardcore. Heavy tactical strike gear in the hundred and five degree weather? Those men must be tough."

"It's a hundred and five degrees outside?"

"Uh huh," Thalia nodded her head. "High of the day."

"That's insane!"

"It's Brazil," she shrugged. "I'm gonna go make something to eat. Or lock myself in the fridge. I'll decide on the way."

Heading in the direction of the kitchen, Thalia opened the fridge door, letting a blast of icy air drift over her glistening skin. Goosebumps rose over her skin, and she shut the door, crossing her arms over her chest. Becoming disinterested with the kitchen, she turned around, heading for the entryway. Flitting up the tall flight of stairs, she was met with a hallway, all the doors shut.

_Probably to keep the cold air in._

Pushing one door open, a guest bedroom. Another door. An office. Another door, another bedroom. And the last door was a bathroom. Because she opened it so quietly, the person inside didn't know she was there. Donnie stood in the center of the room, pulling his shirt over his head.

"I know you're there, Thalia."

"What gave me away?"

"The dead silence," he said softly. Turning around, his eyes sparked, making her pulse jump. "It's easy."

Her feet carried her to center of the bathroom, standing in front of him. She touched his shoulder. "It looks better." Her fingers glided over his skin. "Better than when I last saw it."

She touched the bruising around it. Taking a washrag from the sink, she wet it down with cold water, then ran it along his shoulder, pressing a kiss to the bruise. A groan came from deep in his throat, and his hands held her waist, feeling her muscles stretch upwards as she washed off his chest. "Sit down," she said softly, and he complied, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

Wetting the rag again, she sat next to him, running the cold, wet fabric up his neck, rubbing it along the back of his neck. Chills crawled down his spine. She gave him a look of concern. "Why don't you go lay down?"

"It's hot." The heat was getting to his brain; fire burned under his skin. Standing up, he could hear Thalia speaking, and when his hand touched the knob, the floor sped towards him.

"Donnie?" Her voice raised a few octaves when he hit the floor, pain jarring through him. "Donnie!"

He looked up at her; heat burned around him. So he did what he felt was right:

He closed his eyes and drifted off.

***

She looked down, seeing Donnie unconscious. Millions of things went through her mind. One of them was probably call for help, but she couldn't do that just yet; she wanted to see what she could do first. So she put her hands on his chest and concentrated.

Feeling the electricity in his brain moving sluggishly, she sent little shocks into his skin. He cooled off by a few degrees, then heated up again. "Damn it, take it," she muttered, shocking him over and over.

Gradually, his temperature began dropping. Someone knocked on the door. "Thalia?"

"Yes," she said nervously. "Can you come in here?"

The door swung open, and a guard knelt to the floor, lifting Donnie's head. "He's passed out from heat stroke."

She gasped. "Heat stroke?"

"Follow me," the guard lifted Donnie, carrying him to the room next to the bathroom. Setting him on the bed, he shut the door and set a thermostat. "Put this on him."

She was given an ice pack. The guard left. Kneeling over him, she rubbed his skin over and over again with the ice pack until it grew mushy. The cold air blasted his skin, making the room grow colder and colder until she was shivering. Her breath steamed.

He didn't move. She sank into his side, her teeth chattering as she drew the blankets up to her chin. "Please."

~*~

Skye scanned her computer screen. "Nope, nope, nope," she said continuously, scrolling through biological weapon projects. "Why isn't any of her projects coming up?"

"We're looking for an alias," Jemma replied, looking at each project with a patience Skye didn't have. "Reptilian anamorphosis to heal wounded soldiers?"

Skye scowled. "No. That project was created by a scientist missing an arm to regenerate his lost limb."

After about ten minutes of searching, Jemma made a strange noise. "Snow White Serum?"

"What's that?"

"Toxin that shuts the body down in a state of death," Jemma said a simplified description for Skye. "Creator is Anna Crawford in cooperation with an unknown partner. That's her."

Clicking the file icon, the entire project came up. "This was viewed by Agent Blake."

"How can you tell?"

"Viewer history." Skye tapped a black box with rapidly filling green text.

"Send it to Coulson."

"On it." After sending off the file, a red icon notification came up. "Third party communication. Accept?"

Clicking accept, Miles' face filled the screen. "I think your superiors are crossing a line."

"Why?"

"An anonymous source sent a note to everyone on the RT mainframe offering a quarter of a million dollars to the person who brought S.H.I.E.L.D. Thalia Quinn." Jemma and Skye looked at each other. "Agent Blake's calling in third party intelligence agencies to track down a person of interest."

"You're serious?"

"Yep," Miles forwarded a copy of the digital note. "He has gone off the deep end."

"Oh no," Jemma said softly.

"And he even included that if the person that brings him Thalia also has Donnie and Quinn, he'd provide further reward."

"He's gone crazy."

"It isn't madness, it's anger. She knows the original formula, and he's mad because S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't greenlight production. But now that everything's different, he's willing to pay people to kidnap a teenage girl."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s really gone to hell, hasn't it?"

"No, Blake has," Skye snapped. "Keep me updated."

"Can do."

~G.A.M.E.~

Resurfacing to consciousness, Donnie felt a chill in the air. The fire under her his skin was gone, but oddly enough, he felt like someone put electric paddles to his chest.

An ice pack sat on the table next to the bed. Touching it, it solidified. His breath fogged in front of him.

  
_Wonder if there's anything to eat,_ Donnie thought, standing up. Checking the thermostat, it read thirty four degrees. _The room's colder than me!_

Looking around, he slipped his thermal shirt back on, finding it to be rather cold. Thalia's boots were at the foot of the bed. But where was she? He got his answer when he turned the lights on. She was curled into a ball on the bed, her skin clammy and lips a slight purplish color.

"No," Donnie said disbelievingly. Crawling onto the bed, he took her hand. He had gotten used to abnormally warm skin; the electricity that ran through her veins raised her internal temperature by at least ten or fifteen degrees. But her skin was cold, cold enough for him to notice something was wrong.

"Someone help!" he yelled. Placing his fingers against her pulse point, her pulse beat slowly, and when she exhaled, it was almost a minute before she inhaled again. "Please help!"

The door opened, and a guard entered, seeing the two. Speaking Portuguese into his radio, he took Thalia into his arms, maneuvering out the door and down the stairs. Donnie followed quickly, not bothering to notice sweat wasn't forming on his skin.

"What did I hear over the radio?" the guard leader asked, and upon seeing her waxy skin, began a rapid discussion with the other guard in Portuguese.

Donnie didn't understand Portuguese, but he did understand them calling for Quinn, saying he needed to take her to a hospital. "She needs to get warm," Donnie stumbled, and one of the guards nodded, bringing a blanket and wrapping it around her. "Her core temperature needs to get back up."

"I just got word from one of the guards that my daughter may have hypothermia," Ian stormed into the entryway. "Who got that insane notion?"

Seeing Donnie and Thalia, he glared at Donnie, his eyes and veins filled with venom. "I knew this would happen, I told you it would, and you didn't listen. Well, are you happy now?"

"I just woke up," Donnie replied panicky. "She was like that when I found her."

"Bring her to my office," Quinn ordered sharply, turning on his heel. Following him to his office, he watched as she was laid out onto a couch, her feet tucked under her. More blankets were piled on top of her until she was in a blanket cocoon.

Donnie was pushed against the wall, Ian holding the front of his shirt in his fist. "You did this," Ian growled, digging his knuckles into his skin. "You did this to her, and you're going to pay."

"No, I swear, it wasn't me!" Donnie was clearly panicking now. "I don't know what happened! Mister Quinn, you have to believe me!"

"No, I don't!" he yelled in Donnie's face. "She was found with you, found with a core temperature below sixty degrees. That kills people!"

"Mister Quinn, it was of her own doing." Everyone turned to the guard. "He had fallen unconscious from a heat stroke. I left her with him. She refused to leave his side."

"She may have hypothermia because she worried that he'd die of hyperthermia?"

The guard nodded. Releasing Donnie's shirt, Ian looked at Thalia. "She's going to be fine, isn't she?"

The guard touched a hand to her forehead. "I don't know. But I'd recommend keeping her warm even after she wakes up. When she wakes up, she'll be prone to temperature drops."

Everyone nodded. "Donnie, do you have anymore thermal shirts?"

"I'll find one," he promised. "Anything else?"

He shook his head. "Everyone can go now."

When all the guards left, Ian sighed. Crouching next to the couch, he touched her forehead, brushing her hair off her temple. His fingers flinched away at her still cold skin. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does she care so much?"

"Are you insinuating you want her emotionless like you?"

Ian shot a glare at Donnie. "It's just strange. I've seen people do crazy and stupid things for each other. But I've never seen her so protective of people. Especially you. She took a bullet for you. Granted, it never touched her, but she still took a bullet for a teenager."

"Are you saying she shouldn't have?" Donnie crossed his arms over his chest. "You brought me here, wanting me to build the machine, then she comes in, and suddenly, you don't mind my getting picked off."

"I'm not saying that--"

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's grown quite fond of you. I know you two have... become close." Ian stood, his gaze meeting Donnie's. "I've seen it, heard the tales. But it doesn't make sense. She refuses to leave you, isn't harsh or cruel to you. Why?"

"I don't know."

Thalia turned over, her face away from them. She mumbled something in her sleep. "Hmm..."

"What did she say?"

"Who knows," Donnie muttered. "I'm gonna go find that shirt."

When he left, Ian saw electricity zapping in the air. It swirled around him, the energy dancing with each other. He reached out and touched a hazy bolt, and all of a sudden, voices filled his head, several at once. It was confusing; the voices began to clarify and some turned out to not be voices at all, but rather noises and the sound of electricity.

"It's plasma lightning."

He looked up to see Donnie holding another thermal shirt. "That happens when she sleeps. Memories of the day materialize in the form of plasma lightning."

"But how do they get out here?"

"The electricity in the air is manipulated to her whim, so the electricity in her brain can openly move between the inside of her head and outside her body. But the electricity in her body is hazy, she focuses it through contact, so when it meets the outside, since there's no skin to skin contact, it stays in its natural form. Plasma lightning."

"That's amazing."

"Yeah," Donnie said quietly, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Quite the strange sight." Standing up, he asked, "Mister Quinn, how did she get this? The whole manipulating metal and electricity thing?"

"Tom told me a while back," Ian shook his head. "He works closely with S.H.I.E.L.D., but anyways he told me that one day there was a case where people would wind up dead with no explanation. They'd suddenly start floating in the air. But after closer examination, the people that were winding up dead were volunteer firefighters assigned to cleanup of New York after the invasion. One contracted something from an artifact--an alien helmet-- and got sick, then when he died, the others got it. 'Their fates were sealed', as Tom said. Everyone who contracted it died. Everyone except one person."

"Simmons."

"What?"

"Agent Simmons," Donnie said. "She contracted it, and she didn't die."

"I was talking about Thalia," Ian said. "Simmons may have contracted it, but she recovered by making antibodies to fight it off. Thalia didn't have that. She is the only known person who was able to survive the virus when it ran its course."

"Mister Quinn, that killed people," Donnie pointed out. "So feel free to explain how she survived a virus that killed normal people."

"She isn't normal."

"Well, I would've guessed that," Donnie replied sarcastically. "Being able to contain enough electricity to power New York is a pretty big deal."

"Like half god not normal."

" _What?_ "

"Have you ever heard of Asgardians?"

***

Feeling began to return to her fingers. Ribbed fabric brushed against her hand. Wanting to know what it was, she brushed her fingers across the fabric, trying to remember where the feeling was familiar.

She couldn't open her eyes, couldn't move, but she could hear. And even that was muddled. "Mm..."

"...storm....coming in...tonight..."

"...Thalia...waking..."

Warm fingers pressed against her throat. Her heart beat slowly to match her sleeping state. "No...sleep talking..."

Feeling began to return to her toes. Uncomfortable pins and needles shot through her feet, and she shook her feet to rid herself of the annoying and quite painful sensation. "Ow..."

"What's wrong?"

"Blood...circulate...painful..."

Reaching under the blankets, a pair of warm hands took one of her feet, rubbing the pain away. "Mmm..."

"Don't rub so hard," Donnie snapped. "It could hurt her."

She could feel her legs throbbing as blood began circulating through her veins. The warm hands set her feet down, covering them with blankets. "Her skin warming up?"

"Slowly," Ian replied. His voice became fuzzy as he moved further away. "She...she doesn't react to me..."

"She's asleep!" Donnie sighed exasperatedly. "I think she needs to be moved. It's going to rain, and I don't think she needs to be getting wet."

"I find the irony in this seeing as you're the one with the cold skin problem and yet you know how to tend to people in hypothermic states."

"When I was working on the crystalline nucleation, Seth would tend to my frostbitten hands," Donnie said. "He and his family lived in Wisconsin until he was about nine, and frostbite and hypothermia were big problems during the year. He learned how to treat frostbite when his younger sister Mary got it. Then hypothermia when Lilly got sick from it. She died from pneumonia about a month later." Donnie sighed morosely. "And when I began work on the machine, he taught me how to treat it. Said it honored her memory."

"Did you ever meet Lilly?"

"A few times," Donnie replied. "She loved Seth like no other."

Thalia tucked her chin into her chest.

"Do you have siblings, Donnie?"

"I had a younger sister, Breanna. But she was stillborn."

Donnie replied sadly, "My mom was devastated and eventually fell into depression."

"I'm sorry, Donnie."

"And then the year after, she left." His voice began to waver. "She said she'd look at me and see Breanna. She looked at me and saw the life that Breanna would never have."

Silence for what felt an eternity. "I should probably move her before it starts raining."

"Yeah, you probably should." Donnie got up and left.

Ian lifted her off the couch. "Unhh..." she mumbled. "Unhh..."

"Ssh," Ian soothed her. "Ssh, it's okay."

She quickly fell back under, but not before her eyes fluttered open and she saw Donnie head downstairs, his head hung. The door shut behind him. Her heavy lids shut.

"Donnie," she mumbled. Ian looked at her, his blue eyes reflecting the raging emotions inside.

"Donnie," he said quietly. She sighed contentedly, if unconscious people could do that, then brought her hands to her chest, gripping the cuffs of Donnie's thermal shirt.

"He," she took in a deep yawn, "he needs a friend."

"Then be his friend, Thalia."

"I am," she replied. Ian thought it hilarious that he was able to have a legitimate conversation with his unconscious teenage daughter. But then yet again, Donnie said he talked in his sleep. Maybe it rubbed off.

"Well then keep being his friend."

"I plan on it."

~G.A.M.E.~

Donnie was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Again. It squeezed at his chest, tightening on his heart until he was gasping for breath. "No, please," he gasped, falling to his knees on the polished concrete. Breaking the fall with his hands, ice began spreading across the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut. Memories started coming back.

_"Donald!"_

_He looked up to see his father waiting on the steps of the stoop for the playground of Delaware Elementary. In his experience, his father picked him up when he was in trouble, and usually not for any other reason. It wasn't that he wasn't a bad father. He just wasn't on the same plane as Donnie._

_"Donald Vincent Gill, let's go!"_

_Standing up from the bench, he tucked his notebook into his jacket. Following his father off the playground, he watched with downcast eyes as several kids watched in wonder as to why Donnie Gill's father was here instead of his mother. He climbed into the back seat, buckled his seatbelt, and took out his notebook, opening it to the page with his grandpa's handwriting. Together, they'd come up with a brilliant idea for a weather machine; it would be able to make it snow._

_"Donald, will you put that away?"_

_He winced. Donnie knew his dad used his full name, regardless the situation. "What's wrong?"_

_"Breanna's going to be born today."_

_Right, Breanna. When his mom found out, she'd told Donnie first. He'd reacted much better than his father did, who lost it. He'd left, not coming back for a week. When he came back, he stroked her slightly bulging stomach, saying he'd do better. Be a better father. This always irked him; had he not done a good enough job the first time with Donnie? How would Breanna be any different?_

_And then they found out it'd be a girl. His father swore he'd be better. He even stopped drinking and disappearing for days on end. And got a job with Hammer Industries. One day, a man with blond hair, tan skin and glasses came to the house, looking for his father. "So you're Donnie?"_

_He nodded as he held the doorknob. "Your dad's told me all about you. And if you take after Grandpa Vincent, you'll be a wonderful addition to Hammer Industries." Donnie scrunched his eyebrows together. Just then, his mom came to the door, her light brown hair in a ponytail._

_"Justin?"_

_"I'm looking for Drew," he said. "He said he had something to show me." His eyes widened at her pregnant belly. "Is that what I think it is?"_

_"Yep," she nodded, continuing the conversation above Donnie's head. "A baby girl."_

_"Oh, that's wonderful! Give Drew my congratulations," Justin said. Checking his watch, he frowned. "I have to go. Tell him I stopped by?"_

_She nodded. "Can do, Mister Hammer."_

_"Donald, we're here."_

_Blinking a few times, he tucked his notebook back into his jacket. Climbing out of the car, he followed his father's impatient footsteps to the front desk, then more impatient footsteps to his mother's room._

_Opening the door, she saw them and smiled, her hair plastered to her forehead. "Donnie, Drew."_

_He approached the bed timidly. "Donnie, since when are you afraid to approach your mother?"_

_"Where is she?" he asked. "Where's Breanna?"_

_"They're weighing her, cleaning her. Now come here," she patted the bed. Once he sat down, she ruffled his hair, bringing him close to her and hugging him. "Imagine, Donnie, you have a little sister."_

_"I don't think it's that easy, Mom," he said. "By time she's old enough to remember my face, I'll be in that stage where I will find everything obnoxious or embarrassing."_

_"Don't let your father fill your head with nonsense like that!" She said, surprise in her features. His father stood awkwardly._

_"Lilac." He smiled, knowing her nickname would break the tension._

_Her face softened. "Hi, Drew."_

_"Come on Donald, time to head back to school."_

_And that was the last time he saw his mother with a smile on her face._

_When the bus dropped him off at the corner of Feehan and Everglade, he put a kick in his step to beat the neighborhood bully, Harry Foxworth, from beating him up and to prevent Carly Brisecka from seeing him get beat up. But the second Harry and Carly saw him, they only gave him pitiful looks and went inside their homes._

_Scrunching his eyebrows together, he ran home. Bursting through the front door, he saw all sorts of people; his Grandpa Vincent was sitting at the dining room table, Grandma Olivia was with him, dabbing her eyes with a washrag. His father sat in a dark haze at the head of the table, his head on the polished wood._

_"What happened?"_

_Everyone stopped and saw him, and everyone broke down crying. Grandpa Vincent stood up, and with his creaking joints, placed a hand on his shoulder._

_"Breanna's dead."_

_Time seemed to stop. "What?"_

_"Breanna was stillborn." Grandma Olivia turned her head. She still wore her lab coat from the hospital. "Nobody knew."_

_"What's that?"_

_"It's a little explaining," Grandma Olivia answered. "She was born dead."_

_After that day, Donnie retreated into his room. He didn't come out for four days afterwards. He sat on his bed, staring at the wall. When his dad opened the door, they didn't even look at each other._

_"You need to leave this room."_

_"No," he said quietly. "Not until mom comes home."_

_"Donnie, please."_

_That's when he turned his head. His father never called him Donnie. Standing in defeat, he walked to the doorway, burying his face in his dad's shirt. "I--"_

_"Don't."_

_The phone rang. "Drew, this is Olivia. She's being discharged today. I'm gonna pick her up and bring her back."_

_When the machine clicked off, Donnie and his dad moved into the dining room, sitting at the table and waiting. The door opened, and Lilah entered, wrapped in her warmest clothes, her face red and her eyes bloodshot._

_Standing up, Donnie wrapped his arms around her, feeling the hot tears slide down his cheeks. But she didn't hug back. Instead she stared blankly at the wall, then pushed him away and went upstairs, shutting the bedroom door behind her and crying._

_It was like that for days. He had woken up one morning, gotten dressed, tucked his notebook away in his backpack, then trudged upstairs. Opening the door, his mother sat in bed. "I'm leaving for the bus."_

_"Why, Donnie?" she looked at him, crazed despair and haunting pain in her eyes. "Why did you live? Why did you get to live and she had to die? WHY?"_

_"I don't know mom."_

_"She was my first little girl!" She sobbed. "I loved her, cared for, like I did you, and God took her from me! Why didn't he take you?!"_

_Her words stung. Like a knife, it pierced him, tearing through his carefully built walls, striking the place it hurt most. Before he could think, he left, heading to the bus stop before she had a chance to finish._

_The scene blurred and next thing he saw was his mom's suitcases next to the door. "I'm sorry, Donnie. I just can't."_

_He looked at her. She waited outside the house, and a yellow cab came to a stop at the curb. Loading her suitcases into the back, she turned to him, bending down to his height. She kissed his forehead. Then she turned around and climbed into the cab. It roared away._

_And that was the last he saw of his mom._

_In the flashes that followed, his dad deteriorated; he'd become so unlike himself. When he began his long disappearances again, Miss Stohl from across the street would bring him to her house, where he stayed with her until his dad came back. As he got older, he learned to take care of himself. Miss Stohl had taught him enough so he didn't starve, the woman was an 'adventurous cook' as she put it, and taught him to cook several basic things._

_The last brief flash of family life was shortly after either his fifteenth or sixteenth birthday, and his father came home in a drunken rage. He called her name, searching the house for her. Donnie shook his head and returned to his thermodynamics homework assignment. "Donald, where's your mother?"_

_"I don't know," he replied absently, erasing a line of scrawled writing and rewriting it._

_"She's gone off again."_

_"No, you've gone off again." Donnie tucked his homework and notebook into his backpack. "You were gone for two weeks. Mom's been gone a lot longer than that."_

_"Why? Why'd she leave?"_

_"Now how would I know that?"_

_"Don't disrespect me, Donald!" his dad snarled. "I am the man of the house."_

_"No you're not! You're never here!"_

_That made his dad go off the edge, and he flew at Donnie with a speed he didn't know his father possessed. He narrowly ducked out of the way, and his father crashed into the table. "You want to know why she left? She couldn't take your moping about the house! You've been this way ever since Breanna died!"_

_The severest of looks entered his eyes. "Don't you dare talk about Breanna."_

_"Why?" Donnie was prepared for the emotional blows his father dealt. "Because I wasn't ultimately grieving like you? I never met her! Sure I'm sad, but how can I grieve for someone I didn't know?"_

_He saw a flash of metal and blacked out. Next thing he knew, he saw Miss Stohl, rapidly talking into a phone. His father was apologizing profusely, and he fell under and woke up in the hospital, his left arm in a sling and his shoulder covered in bruises. Then the month he spent with Miss Stohl flashed by and then he was back with his dad, who didn't come anywhere near him afterwards. He spent his time in his room, away from Donnie. Then S.H.I.E.L.D. came. And it was almost like that incident all over again._

_"You're leaving."_

_"It's my own choice, dad."_

_"You're leaving, just like her."_

_His words were numbing against Donnie's calm façade. "And we see how well you reacted to that."_

_"Donald..."_

_"It's Donnie," he snapped, startling his dad. "She called me Donnie."_

_"Donnie," his father said uneasily. "Stay. Please."_

_"No. It's better this way."_

Someone was shaking him. "Donnie."

He opened his eyes, and the entire room was iced over. Sharp icicles poked from the ceiling, the beams, the floor. The floor was covered in ice, and the person shaking him had a blanket draped across their shoulders.

Looking up, he saw Thalia. The color was returning to her skin, and she held the ends of the too long thermal shirt sleeves in her hands. Her hair fluttered nervously. He pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Hey, look at me." Her voice drew his eyes upward to hers. Her skin was still waxy.

"What are you doing down here?" Donnie choked. "You could get sick."

"And leave you alone?" She gave him a pitiful look. "No."

Hot tears slid down his cheeks. "Come here," she said softly. Wrapping her arms around his back and shoulders, she drew him into her chest, placing her cheek on the top of his head. "I'm sorry about Breanna."

He was breathing heavily, and she felt cold seeping into the shirt she was wearing. And she held him tighter, holding him as he sobbed into her shoulder quietly. It was awkward; she was four inches shorter than him, so it was tangled mess of limbs that almost looked like he was kneeling in front of her. Climbing into his lap, his arms wrapped around her back, holding her while he cried into the shirt. "I'm sorry, Thalia."

"Don't be. It was me being stupid. It was me being scared; I was worried you'd never wake up when I knew that you were cooling down."

"But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this situation."

"Don't blame yourself," she said quietly. "It wasn't your fault."

She placed her hands on both sides of his head and touched his forehead to hers. "It isn't your fault," she said quietly, her breath fanning over his face. The remaining moisture on his face was wiped away by Thalia's careful thumbs, all while she glanced at him briefly, her eyes flitting back and forth over his face. She leaned back slightly, her fingers once again running over his face. Her index ran over a small, but raised scar just above his eyebrow. "What happened here?"

"It was after my fifteenth or sixteenth birthday. My dad came home, drunk, and tried fighting with me. I was keeping him at bay, but I said something I shouldn't have and he came at me, with a screwdriver. It didn't break skin, but he drove the handle into my shoulder and dislocated it. I fell, hitting my head on the table. I black out and come back to see my neighbor, Miss Stohl, hunched over me calling an ambulance. I had three or four stitches for that and had to be put in a sling for a month."

Before he could speak, she pressed her lips to his eyebrow, kissing the scar just above his eyebrow. Pulling back, he nuzzled her neck, kissing the back of her neck where the stitches were.

She pulled away from him, her eyes unfocused and her breathing heavy. "I..." she said, catching her breath, "I have to go. He doesn't know I'm down here, he thinks I'm...upstairs."

"Then I guess I don't have to tell you to keep it quiet."

Climbing off of him, she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, stealing up the stairs. Shutting the door quietly, he watched as the ice began to melt.


	13. Teasing The Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I hate being late for this. I was gonna update but a ton of crazy things happened. A new kitten I found and took in passed from pneumonia (her sister, however, is making a recovery). My mom took us on a boat (I was miserable), then a few days afterward one of our own cats died from pneumonia. Between that and everything else, I couldn't find the time (except for now, yay!) so I hope this makes up for it. And BTDubs, if I made any references to anything outside of fandom, I don't own anything except for Thalia, a handful of other characters, and the story. Comment if you find any (mostly so I remember where, if any, I put them and also to credit the reference)!

"Not for lack of trying, but I don't think this will work."

Looking up, she saw her father standing at the edge of the couch, giving her a confused look as she lay spread out, reading a book. Turning back to the cover, she glanced at the cover. Some random book she pulled off the bookshelf, with no title except on the spine. "What's not working? Certainly not my dreadful ability to devour books and to have a sharp tongue," she teased, sticking a small ribbon in the book to mark her place. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Ian pondered his response. "Maybe. Usually you made it very well known on your whereabouts."

"And?"

"Do you have any hobbies?"

"Not that I can remember, no." Thalia scrunched her eyebrows together. "Are you calling me an old hag who busies herself with boring tasks to fill the void in her life that's usually filled with a man?"

"What the hell have you been reading?"

Picking up the book, she now was able to read the title. " _Vengeful Tides_."

"A trashy romance novel," Ian replied. "Of course."

"You shut it." She smiled, standing and pushing the sleeves of her thin, soft sweater back. "Where's Donnie?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Exactly," Thalia smiled devilishly. Sauntering into the kitchen, she jumped onto the counter, bringing down cooking ingredients from the higher shelves. He watched her with fascination, as one might watch a ballerina. "Donnie, although he is a great cook, recognizes that I must have been quite the avid cook Before. I can make mean waffles and pancakes. But he refuses to let me cook because he thinks I'll set something on fire."

"Because you usually do set something on fire," Donnie called out, coming up from the basement. "Monaco was a prime example."

"That was a circuit board for Chrissakes!" Thalia pouted. "And how was I supposed to know it would explode?"

"I'm only teasing, Thalia," Donnie said, brushing a kiss over the top of her head. "Why are you making waffles for lunch?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"Not with you," Donnie said quietly, and she smacked his shoulder. She smiled, pushing him out of the kitchen.

"Get out. I need space to work."

Taking a seat next to Ian, Donnie watched Thalia move about the grand kitchen. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Why is she so short?"

"I'm five foot four, Donald!" Thalia placed her hands on her hips. "And you shouldn't be talking, Mister Five Foot Eight. Mister Vince Vaughn Tall."

Donnie cringed at her using his name. "You're not short, Thalia. You're just fun-sized."

"I can still kick your ass."

"If you can reach it," he teased. Ian chuckled.

"I can still kick your ass at  _other things_." She laughed, waving a spatula at them both. Donnie placed his head against the counter to avoid further embarrassment. Ian shot a wary look at Thalia. "I'm only joking."

She spun her spoon around the inside of the mixing bowl, combining each ingredient until it was made into a mix. "And besides, Donnie," she tapped her spatula next to his head, "it isn't cooking unless something is on fire."

He picked up his head and watched as she ladled mix into the iron, flipping it over and waiting for the timer to ring. After roughly twenty minutes, both teenagers had plates, chowing down on the food she'd made. "Thank you Thalia," Donnie said, his mouth full. She glared at him. "Don't speak with your mouth full, Donnie," she scolded him lightly. "It's rude."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were eating with royalty."

Thalia laughed, quickly returning to her plate. He watched her movements, each one graceful and fluid. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and he couldn't help but notice it was bare, the soft sun kissed color of her skin going until it stopped just inches off her shoulder.

"I have to go," Ian kissed the the top of Thalia's head. "Business deal in Rio. If you need me, call me." He handed her a cell phone. "Okay?"

"Yes, dad."

Kissing the top of her head again, he fixed her sagging sweater shoulder, then left. Pushing her plate away, Thalia grimaced at a clump of hair. "What's wrong?"

"I got something in my hair," she answered him. Sniffing her hair, she scowled. "Syrup. I have syrup in my hair."

"Then go wash it out."

"I need to clean up," Thalia gestured to the kitchen.

"I'll clean up."

"No, it's my mess. I'll be quick." Turning around, she stood, raising her hands. The metal mixing bowls, drip pan, utensils and mixing tools moved to the sink.

"Cheater."

"I said I'd be quick," she said matter-of-factly. Walking into the kitchen, she placed plates and nonmetal items in the sink, then wiped off the counters. "Now I can go shower."

Leaving Donnie alone in the dining room, he stared at his plate. Seeing the phone Thalia left on the table, he picked it up, standing and heading upstairs, he opened the door. Thalia spun around, an alarmed look on her face. "Oh, it's just you."

"You left this downstairs," he said timidly, sliding the phone across the counter. It stopped inches from her fingers. The fire alarm began to beep.

"Damn thing," she said quietly, jumping up to smother its cries with her sweater. "Why are you always beeping?"

"Maybe it needs new batteries."

"It has new batteries, and the wiring is fine," she told him. She sat on the edge of the counter, level with his eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with it."

"Maybe you're wrong with it."

She frowned. Jumping off the counter, she slipped past him, pulling the slouchy sweater off her body. Jumping into the shower, she left him as he stared at the blinking fire alarm, looking for a reason to pin onto it.

~G.A.M.E.~

Turning onto her side, Thalia felt the cozy warmth and perfect coolness of the room against her skin. Sitting up in bed, she yawned, letting the blood rush to her head. Rolling out of bed, she slipped into her silky robe, an artsy combination of dark colors with the iconic Snow White kiss on the back.

Opening the door, the house seemed cold. Which was rather odd, because usually it wasn't cold. It was usually warm. Pulling her robe close to her body, she roamed the long hallway, seeing a blackened sky outside. Thunder shook the house, and the lights flickered for a second.

Flitting down the stairs, she did a quick run of the lower level. Thunder shook the house again, and the lights flickered again. "Donnie?" she called out, entering the kitchen. He stood at the counter, spooning chocolate ice cream into a bowl. "What are you doing?"

"I may be eighteen, but sometimes I want to act like I'm eight and have a huge bowl of ice cream," he said. Picking up his bowl, he dug a spoon in.

"And people in hell want ice water."

"Well then come get your ice water," he said teasingly, offering an extra spoon. Rounding the counter, she took the spoon from him, dipping it into the chocolate ice cream and bringing back a dainty bite.

"Oh, you have to be more liberal than that," Donnie said, scooping a large bite and shoving it into her mouth. It smeared across her cheek, making her freeze in place. Donnie's mouth fell open, soon giving way to laughter.

"You did not just do that."

"And if I did?"

"Then prepare," her voice was low as she removed her robe. Tossing it on the chair, she stuck her finger into the bowl, bringing it out and smearing chocolate ice cream on Donnie's nose. "Your move."

Reaching out at her, his fingers grazed her, and frost spread over her shoulder. "Almost got you!" he said, spinning to catch her. She danced out of his reach. Then he caught her by the front of her shirt.

"Damn!" she flinched away from the cold spreading through her shirt. Slipping out of the shirt, she fell against the counter, rubbing her skin. Suddenly becoming fully aware of her company, she crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to cover herself.

"I'm sorry," Donnie said, bringing her robe over and covering her shoulders with the silky fabric. Her fingers drew the robe shut, tying the sash tightly over her stomach. "You okay?"

"Yeah, that just shocked me." Thalia looked up at Donnie. "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything."

She looked down. "Would you kiss my forehead, please?"

Reaching down, he pressed his lips to below her hairline. "Thank you."

Pulling back, he looked down to his chocolate smeared shirt. "I have to go change," he said, trying to lift the tension. She ducked under his arm, wiping the ice cream off her cheek.

"Then change," Thalia said softly. "I need to go upstairs anyways."

Tossing the paper towel into the trash, she disappeared upstairs. Following her, he slowly pulled his thermal shirt over his head. Then he entered Thalia's bedroom. He noticed it was much grander than his own room; a large snow white four poster bed sat on a raised platform against the wall. A running theme seemed to occur due to the snow white color of the furniture, from the couch and chairs of the reading nook to the vanity and changing area of the closet. But she sat at the vanity, the stark color of her hair and clothes like bright and dark pops of color. His dark blue shirt, black pants and socks made him stand out, but not as vividly as she did.

She turned around, still wearing her robe, a pair of Snoopy socks on her feet and wearing a black tank top that clung like a second skin. "I find this all unnecessary," she said, waving her hands around the room. "I appreciate that I have a parental figure and all, but I don't need all this space. It's too overwhelming."

The corner of his lips pulled up into a smile as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Rich people problems?"

A small smirk surfaced. "You live here too, don't you?"

"I only temporarily reside here."

She stood up. Approaching him, he looked down at her, who studied him with her dark eyes. "Has anyone told you that you can not only tear yourself down, but also be an enormous pain in the ass?"

"I thought those went hand in hand."

"Quit beating yourself up, Donnie," Thalia placed her forehead against his chest. "Or I'll beat you up."

"Bring it on, little girl."

"You did not just call me little."

"And if I did?"

Fisting her hand into his shirt, she pulled him down to her level and smashed their lips together, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands wrapped around the backs of her knees, lifting her into the air. She clutched him suddenly, her fingers tightening into his hair.

Taking a seat on the couch, Donnie slipped her robe off, tossing it to the floor. A soft moan escaped her lips, and she clasped her hands behind his neck, feeling his smooth and cold lips against her throat.

Pushing her down onto her back, Donnie brushed the stray hairs off her face that were always present. "Thalia, I can't."

"Well then we can do everything but that."

Slipping her hands under his shirt, her nimble fingers traced the muscles in his back. Sliding her hands between his shoulder blades, the fabric of his thermal shirt rode up her arms until she was pulling it off of him. Shaking it from his wrists, he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her to a sitting position.

Sitting still and staring at each other, her eyes flitted over his shoulder. She could see the difference between the two; one was slightly toned, she could trace the muscles under the skin. On the other shoulder, it was still toned, same as the right, but there was an indention. Running her thumb along it, her finger felt the shoulder joint just a bit higher than on the other side.

Donnie watched her closely as she examined him. "Does it hurt?"

"Only when I'm on the verge of passing out from exhaustion." His usually clear mind began to fog as she kissed along his shoulder to his neck, then to his jaw. Her hands swept along his shoulders and neck, her fingertips tracing his jaw.

"Well then we know what to steer clear of," Thalia said amusedly. Tilting her head upwards, he kissed her again. His hands slowly dragged up her waist, his fingers hooking in the hem to pull over her head. 

After ridding her of the clingy tank top, he ran his hands through her hair. Laying Thalia down on the couch, he pressed his body against hers. Her heart beat a slightly faster rhythm than his, but it was still the same adrenalized, hormone high beat they were both feeling.

He kissed along her collarbone, nosing at her bra strap. Her head tilted back, and she arched her back into him. Switching him onto his back, Thalia traced his jaw with her fingertips. Sitting up, Donnie used his arms for support.

She straddled his waist, her fingers running through his hair. "Your hair's a dark chocolate color." The way she phrased it sounded more like a question than a declaration of fact.

"Yours is an ink color," Donnie pointed out. "Like his."

"Thalia Quinn," she said. "The zombie."

"Zombie?"

He laid down and she laid on top of him, folding her arms on his chest and resting her head on them. "According to dad, everyone for the past eleven years thought I was dead. A girl that dropped off the earth after an ambulance crash."

"He thinks they know."

"They?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D.," Donnie clarified.

"Isn't that where you were a student at? What was it, SciTech?"

"Yeah."

"Well let's ask."

"You're gonna leave me hanging like this?"

"Of course," Thalia teased. Standing up, she pulled her tank top on. "Unless you aren't a patient person like you claim you are."

~*~

"Yes, of course, we'll track it down." Coulson ended the comm. "Great."

Skye looked up from her laptop. "What?"

"Quinn has managed to take off with one of our server tabs." Coulson steepled his hands. "But we can't get it back because that would expose their location. And Blake is still hunting them."

"What if I remotely lock it?" Skye suggested. "He won't be able to access it."

"Good idea," Coulson praised, and she smiled, bringing up a screen. After typing for a line or two, she had remotely locked the tab.

The two sat in silence. Everything that could have possibly been done had been done: finances were cloaked, any media had been hidden away. They had done everything they could. Now they had to hope that Quinn would keep to his promises.

"Do you really think he can do it?" Skye asked. "Keep him and two teenagers under the radar?"

"I hope so."

"What about Donnie, sir?"

"What about him?"

"It's just..." Skye pondered her words. "It's just what if someone sees them?"

"They are sequestered in the safest place possible," Coulson said. "A place we don't know about."

Having to be satisfied with his answer, Skye stood up, moving to the lounge. The Skype message rang. "Yes?"

"Skye, someone here's accepted the challenge," Miles said. "Someone's trying to triangulate their position."

"Who?"

"I don't know, but they sent these over the waves." A hurried walkie talkie conversation. Bits and pieces she recognized. Freezing cold skin, Quinn needs to take her to the hospital. What happened? Had Donnie hurt Thalia?

"Portuguese? Which countries speak Portuguese?"

"Only ones I'm aware of is Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guine-Bissau, and Cape Verde."

"Scramble their data and keep me posted." Shutting the laptop, Skye went back into Coulson's office. "Coulson, someone's trying to triangulate their position."

"Who and where?"

"I don't know either." Skye shook her head, playing the audio. "Miles narrowed it down to six Portuguese speaking countries, but he doesn't know either."

"Skye, get Quinn on the phone. I need to find out why those people were saying Thalia needs to be hospitalized."

Turning away, she took out her phone, pulling up the blocked number icon and dialed. " _This is Quinn, leave a message._ "

"Quinn, this is Skye," she said, "Coulson and I found out someone's trying to track you three down and is being paid for it. Also, why would Thalia need to be hospitalized for freezing skin? Did Donnie hurt her?"

"Skye wrap it up."

"Gotta go. Call me as soon as possible."

Ending the call, she heard the laptop chime. Opening it up, the remote locking screen came up. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

"What?"

"Somebody bypassed remote locking!" Skye said panicky. "That's gonna send up a beacon with the tab location!"

"Who bypassed it?"

"Only people who can do that are..."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"Coulson," Skye said worriedly, "what if the system still recognizes Thalia as Anna?"

~G.A.M.E.~

Slipping into the office, Donnie followed behind Thalia. A hallway came before the actual office, and Thalia held an arm out to stop Donnie. "Stop."

"Why?"

"You cannot be serious," Thalia scoffed. "Have you not seen the old spy movies?"

"No, I'm building the Blizzard machine."

She gave him a disdainful look. "You've given it a  _name_?"

"Cut me some slack, I needed something to call it."

"Like how you called me Khione?" she smiled coyly. "Now hush," Thalia reached behind herself, placing a hand on his mouth only to have it slapped away. "I need to concentrate."

"First of all, that was an accident," Donnie whispered. "It slipped."

"Like hell it slipped," Thalia replied, stifling laughter. "How far away from 'T' is 'K'?"

"Shut up."

"There's garroting wire along the baseboards. Take one wrong step and you'll be missing some pieces," Thalia pointed out, showing him the glimmering wires. "They're disabled when you enter the correct passcode." She pointed to the keypad on the wall.

"So what's the passcode?"

"Something nobody else knows but him, most likely a date. Birthday, year, what?"

"Birthday, most likely. His?"

"Maybe mine." She looked at him. "Donnie, what's my birthday?"

"I don't know!" he hissed. "Neither of you have told me."

"Well, then we'll have to scale the walls."

"Can't you shut off the system or manipulate the wires or something?"

"It isn't that easy, Donnie," Thalia whispered. "This wire is plastic."

"Plastic garroting wire?" Donnie raised an eyebrow. "That couldn't hurt anyone. Nasty cuts, but it couldn't kill someone."

"It's meant to keep me out." Thalia scowled. "Damn overprotective parents."

"Why would he not want you snooping around in his office?"

"You realize how much of a stupid question that sounds like, coming from you."

"Oh right I forgot, Thalia Lorelei Quinn, daughter of Ian Quinn is a major snoop."

"Maybe the distance between the wires is far enough I can put a foot in."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because if it is, I can get across."

"Couldn't I just throw you?"

"You're funny," Thalia said. Sticking a foot between the wires, she did a tiptoe walk between the wires to the door. Twisting the handle, it gave way, and she crept inside. "Be lookout."

"Got it," Donnie replied.

Looking around the office, bookshelves lined the walls. A large desk sat against a bay window. A couch and chairs were set in a corner of the room. Silently stalking over to the desk, she saw what looked to be a tablet. Picking it up, she turned it over in her hands. A hard outer shell (which she suspected was some kind of Otterbox), and a single button on the front.

Turning to the open door, Donnie shook his head. Nobody had come yet. Turning on the tablet, a S.H.I.E.L.D. logo became the background. She gasped quietly. "Donnie!"

"What?"

"Why does my dad have a S.H.I.E.L.D. tab?"

He shrugged. Turning back to the tab, her shaking fingers hit the search icon. One result sat at the top of the list.

_1 result- 040195_

Tapping the result, a small box came up. Thumbprint scanner, she guessed, so she placed her thumb square in the center of the screen. Waiting for a few patient seconds, the screen dinged.

_Welcome, Agent Anna Crawford_.

"What are you doing?"

Thalia didn't move when his soft yet sharp tone cut through the air. "Thalia Lorelei Quinn, what are you doing in here?" Ian shook her gently. He took the tablet from her hands. She stumbled backwards, falling into a chair.

He looked at the tab. The screen was on, and a saying was slowly fading in and out.  _Welcome, Agent Anna Crawford._

Ian looked at Thalia in shock. "Did this happen when you touched it?"

She nodded. Donnie stood in the doorway, then approached her, bending down to her level. She looked shocked, like she had seen something she shouldn't have. "What is it?"

"She touched the tab and it recognized her as an Agent Anna Crawford," Ian dragged a finger across the screen. "Donnie, take her out of here please."

"Who is Anna?" Thalia asked. She pointed a shaky finger at the tab. "Who is she?"

"I don't know, Tally."

"Why does that tell me I'm someone else?" She began growing hysterical. "Is that why I can't remember anything? Is that where I got the scars on my chest?"

"What scars?"

She stood up and pulled her tank top up. The four crescent shaped scars stood out against her heaving chest. Ian's eyes widened in shock, and he set the tab down, touching at the smooth skin. "When did you see these?"

"When I was first released." She pulled her tank top down. "I need to... I need to think."

Sharply spinning on her heel, she left the room. Tossing a wary glance at Ian, Donnie followed after her, tailing after her until she slammed the door in his face. He twisted the knob a few times, stopping when he realized it was locked. "Thalia, can I come in?"

"What if Thalia isn't my name at all?" her small voice asked from the other side of the door. "Thalia was just a name I came up with because I couldn't remember. For all we could know, Anna Crawford could be my name."

"If Anna was your name, then it..."

"Then it would've what, Donnie?" Thalia sat on the floor behind the door. "It would've made itself known by now? Some people never get their memory back from stints,  _lives_  back from stints like mine."

"Can I at least come inside?"

"I... I think I need to be alone right now," she replied, moving away from the door. He stood in front of the door for almost ten minutes before Ian came upstairs. He shook his head, heading to the basement to work.

~*~

Donnie woke up, left his room, and checked down the hall. Her door remained undisturbed. He listened for any sounds from the other side of the door.

Ian stood at the bottom of the stairs. "It has been two days. She needs to come out."

"Mister Quinn, she's probably trying to figure it out, same as us."

"Well, in the two days she's been in there, I haven't gotten a single useful thing off that damn tablet as of yet. She is coming out or I'm coming in."

Donnie knocked on the door. "Thalia, can we come in?"

"Screw asking, I'm going in." Ian motioned for a guard. He stomped up the stairs and delivered a strong kick to the door. The lock buckled, then caved in, letting the door drift open. Stepping over the threshold into her room, Donnie saw her sitting at the vanity, her hands on either side of her head.

The lights flickered, then bolts of electricity danced between her fingers and went into her skin. "Thalia, stop!" Donnie ran to the table, pulling her hands away from her head. She fought against him, until caving and letting her hands be pinned to her sides.

Picking her up, he barely had time to get a good hold on her arms when she brought her head back, smashing into his nose. He stumbled backwards, feeling the blood running down his face. Releasing her, he tried to staunch the blood flow when she aimed a blow at his sternum, knocking the air from his chest.

"Thalia, stop!" Ian rushed forward as she dropped a robe sash, gasping in horror when she saw what she had done. She fell to her knees next to him, her hands shaking as they touched his back.

"Donnie?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Donnie, are you okay?"

After regaining his breath, he sat up, sitting back on his heels. "I'm fine," he answered, checking to see if the bleeding stopped.

"I'm sorry." she placed her head against his chest, crying quietly. "I didn't mean to..."

"I know," he said quietly, wrapping his free arm around her. Ian watched it unfold with bewilderment. "Come on, Thalia, you need to get out of here."

She nodded, coming to her feet and helping Donnie stand. "You need to get the blood off your face."

"I know."

Thalia left. Ian scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at Donnie. "What the hell was that?"

"Sometimes, you have to let her lead."

"She almost killed you!"

"But she doesn't know that," Donnie said quietly. "She knows that she hurt me, and she wants to fix it. So you let her fix it."

"You're still skipping the part where  _she tried to kill you_."

"You're still skipping the part where she's already in a fragile state of mind," Donnie snapped. "If I showed hostility towards her after that whole incident, she'd begin to start feeling isolated and feared by the only person she knows. Then she'd turn to rather self destructive tendencies."

"How do you know?"

"Because I did."

~G.A.M.E.~

Skye scooped up her phone when Quinn's contact showed. "Hello?"

"I want to speak with Coulson, now."

"He's busy right now--"

"I want to speak with him," Quinn's voice was low and threatening. "Thalia just activated some kind of tab and it called her someone named Anna Crawford. She is hysterical! And then she almost killed Donnie!"

"What?"

"Yeah, she almost broke his nose and tried making him choke on his own blood, so if I don't speak with Coulson, I will find someone better equipped to handle this."

Coulson stepped up the stairs from the lab. "Quinn wants to talk with you."

Taking the phone, Coulson headed to his office. "This is--"

"My daughter just had a panic attack and tried to kill Donnie." Quinn was seething. "Who is Anna Crawford, Coulson?"

"Anna Crawford was the name Garrett chose for Thalia when she first arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Garrett?"

"John, yes," Coulson said. "He was the one in charge of bringing her here. He took charge of her case."

"Garrett told me..."

"Well, Garrett's told people lots of things." Coulson's mood soured. "We're trying to figure out why."

"He told me when I got out that if everything goes as planned, if I did what he asked of me, my Gravitonium wouldn't be the only thing returned to me." Quinn started faltering. "I would get pictures, pictures of some dark haired girl he had fixated on that lived in New York. The sayings would be 'she's got your hair' or 'better get to her before Oscorp and Stark'."

"That's the thing, they did get to her. That's where the scars came from."

"You  _knew_? You knew the whole time what your organization, Stark and Norman were doing?"

"Those were never the result of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Coulson growled. "But rather Oscorp. You've heard of some of the shady projects Norman has going on right now."

"Yes, one being a inorganic, psycho-reactive  _and_  psychomagnotheric substance that feeds off negative brain waves. Anger, hatred, those type things."

"Well, her handler went rogue and submitted her to these experiments. The scars were an indirect result of that."

He heard silence on the other end for several minutes. "Goodbye."

The line clicked off.

~G.A.M.E.~

Donnie passed the bathroom and saw Thalia wetting down a washrag. Once satisfied, she wrung it out, heading to his room. Shutting the door, she turned on the lights.

"How do you sleep in here?" she asked jokingly. Every flat surface was covered in blueprints and projects. Sitting farther back on the bed, he allowed her to sit in front of him. A careful hand held his face, and her other hand wiped his mouth and chin of the blood.

Taking hold of his chin, she gently wiped at the underside of his nose. The inside of his nostril was oozing blood. "I'm sorry," she muttered, standing up and running to the bathroom to rinse out the blood.

Quickly wringing out the rag, she came back, dabbing at his nose. "I'm sorry," she said again, roughly rubbing at his skin until all traces of blood were gone. She kissed the bridge of his nose lightly. "Is it better?"

"Yeah," he answered honestly, touching at the bottom of his nose. "Is it bruising?"

Her face paled. "Donnie!"

"Just teasing," Donnie said lightly. Running his calloused fingers over the back of her hand, she shivered, moving forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. Then she moved back, going through his drawers until she found a blue and white color block shirt.

"Off with it."

"It's sticking," Donnie said frustratedly, pulling at the front of the shirt. Sighing, she turned, her eyes snapping open when she saw the blood that stained the fabric was also  _freezing_  to his skin.

"It needs to warm up. Come on, let's go."

Following her into the bathroom, she tossed the rag into the sink, then quickly spun around. "The blood's not going to come out of that I don't think, so there's a good chance it'll probably get ruined."

"This is my favorite shirt."

"Don't be dramatic," Thalia frowned. "Come here."

Wetting down the shirt, it slid off his skin. But it left a trail of blood on his chest. Holding the front under a stream of cold water, blood seeped from the fabric. Tossing it into the sink, she quickly wiped down his skin, drying him off and handing him the dry shirt.

"So, breakfast?"

"Sure," Donnie agreed, following Thalia downstairs to the dining room. Ian sat at the table, reading off a normal tablet. He looked up, acknowledged them, then returned to reading.

"Morning."

"Morning," Thalia said, sitting at the table. Several minutes of awkward silence followed. "Dad, could I look at the tablet?"

He sputtered into his cup of coffee. "I suppose so," he answered, setting his cup down on the table. "I'm just worried you aren't going to like what you see."

"I'm nineteen years old--"

"Eighteen."

"I thought I was nineteen."

"No, you're not turning nineteen until November. November tenth."

"Well, I'm eighteen years old," Thalia said exasperatedly. "I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"Later," Ian said, standing up. He left, leaving the dining room. Donnie picked at an bagel, flitting nervous glances at Thalia.

"You look exhausted."

"I am," she mumbled into a cup. "I also need a shower. When are you going to get your shirt?"

"I thought you said it was ruined."

"No, it's not." Thalia shook her head. "Blood rinsed out cleanly." She stood, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. "Off to the shower."

He nodded his head. She silently slipped away, and he continued to pick at his bagel, not really eating at it. Standing up, he held the food in his hand, and walked out onto the back porch. The air was cool, and he took a seat in one of the wicker chairs. Taking a bite, he stared out of the screen, watching the guards make their rounds around the back.

Ian sat down next to him. "What were you talking about earlier?"

"About what?"

"The self destructive tendencies," Ian said slowly, measuring the time between syllables. "You meant self harm, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And you said you did that?"

"Yes. Well, not necessarily," Donnie shrugged. "I would overwork myself to the point where I'd either pass out or mess up and hurt myself. Not harming myself exactly, but not keeping myself out of harm's way."

"You better hope Thalia doesn't catch you doing that," Ian said gravely. "Or she'll eat you alive. And force you to go to sleep with her."

"Sounds frightening," Donnie said sarcastically, laughing while he did. "I might actually be scared of a girl who's both smaller and weighs less than me."

"Don't underestimate her, Donnie." Ian smiled coyly. "She's quite the wild card."

"I don't."

A guard tapped the window. "Mister Quinn, Miss Thalia's reporting someone roaming the house."

"That must be my business partner." Ian stood up. "Donnie, I trust you can keep Thalia in your room while my partner and I discuss business."

"Yes, sir." Donnie followed him inside. Passing Thalia on the stairs, he reached out to grab her waist when a woman in red entered the entryway.

"Ian, you never told me you had guests."

"Well, Raina, I'm trying to keep their residence a bit of a secret." Ian approached the stairwell, an uneasy grin on his face. "Less people know they're here, the better."

"Then your guards' way in seems very sensible." Raina turned her head to the two teens. "And who is this?"

"Donnie and Thalia."

"I've heard of you," Raina said to Donnie. "The boy who built that ice machine, right?"

He nodded. Raina turned to Thalia. "Now here's the new girl."

"Thalia," she said, leaning over the stairwell to shake Raina's hand. Her towel slipped off her head, falling forward and landing on the rail. Tendrils of wet black hair fell over her forehead.

Raina delicately drew her eyebrows together. "Ian, you never told me you had a daughter."

"It never came up." Ian climbed the stairs. "What gave it away?"

"Her hair," Raina smiled. "I've never met a single light-skinned girl with hair dark as that and say it's natural."

"Um, thanks?" Thalia drew together her eyebrows.

"She looks like she also got your eyebrows," Raina added. "But the rest... her mother must have been very beautiful."

"She was."

"Is she dead?"

"No." Ian turned to Donnie and Thalia. "Donnie, why don't you two go upstairs?"

"Actually, I would like to speak with them," Raina gave a vague smile. "If it's okay with them, of course."

" _No._ " Ian turned to Donnie. "Both of you, upstairs. Now."

"Why?"

"Because as much as I trust her, she is still a slippery person."

"That hurts, Ian." Raina pouted. "You trust me enough with your men, who I could have easily killed, and yet you don't trust me with one girl I could never harm?" She cocked her head at Donnie. "Don't think I can't see the way he looks at her. It's so full of protectiveness and... longing."

Donnie took Thalia's arm, leading her upstairs. Ian spun to face Raina. "Don't you dare try to incite them, Raina."

"What would I incite?" Raina asked, a polite smile on her face. "Teenage hormones?"

"If you touch her, Raina..."

"I already told you I wouldn't touch a girl I couldn't harm." Raina stood still, her arms at her sides. "And besides, it seems things between those two are incited enough. Not that it's any of my business."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone's installed spyware in this magnificent mansion of yours. Cameras, listening devices. Radio taps, quite possibly." Raina frowned. "I came here to tell you this. Now I have to leave. They may see me."

"Who?"

"Whoever's behind the camera."

~*~

"I will see you this afternoon."

Ian hung up the phone. Looking at Thalia sitting crosslegged in the chair, he put on his best poker face. "So, you want to come with me today?"

"Yes," Thalia said. "If that's alright with you."

"No," Ian replied, "because you are a target. This ambassador of mine has been extorting money from me, and if he thinks he's going to keep that money, he's wrong."

"Still not seeing where I factor in this."

"If he sees you, he will try and kidnap you and hold your life at ransom. He'll demand that he keeps the money he stole in exchange for your life."

"Not if Donnie's with me," Thalia proffered. "We can stay in the town."

"No."

"Fine," Thalia huffed.

"Honey, is something wrong?"

She sighed. "No," she replied, a smile on her face. "Just a bit irritable."

"Before I forget, I'll also be gone for about a week. You can use that time to look at the tablet."

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Yes," he answered. "But don't take it out of the office. Understood?"

She nodded fervently. "Here you go," Ian said, handing her the tab. Thalia stood up, the tablet in hand, and sat on the couch. Tossing a sun warmed blanket over her legs, she turned it on.

Exiting the office, Ian jogged up the stairs, heading to his room. Opening the door, his massive master suite looking back at him. His suitcase lay fully packed on his bed. Looking inside, his clothes were neatly folded inside. A small picture and doll lay on top, and when he looked at them, waves of nostalgia came back.

A picture of Thalia and her Valkyrie doll.

_Thalia sat on the front porch of the villa, holding a Barbie doll. Ian sat down opposite her, watching her interact with the doll. "Tally, what are you doing?"_

_"Mommy said Barbie isn't a fighter," Thalia answered. "She said a Valkyrie is."_

_"And what is a Valkyrie, honey?"_

_"Mommy said a Valkyrie is a fighter, a fighter that's got honor and pride. There were a lot of them where Mommy's from."_

_"Well, Mommy's from Greece, and I've never heard of her saying anything about that."_

_Thalia looked up, her hair in two buns at the nape of her neck. "If Mommy's from Greece, then why is she so pale? I'm Greek, but you don't see me burning red as a tomato."_

_"You aren't much tanner, Thalia."_

_"I'm almost seven!" she exclaimed. "You can't expect me to be as-- Ugh!" she stuck her tongue out. "Quit that."_

_Her eyebrows drew together. "Daddy, where's Vaerie at?"_

_"She was too sick to come."_

_"Well then we should have stayed," Thalia huffed. "Vaerie needs company."_

_"Well, Veronica got really sick before we left," Ian replied calmly. "Marie stayed behind to care for her. She said Veronica was getting better."_

_"I don't like Marie. She's mean."_

_"Thalia Lorelei Quinn!" Ian said in astonishment. "Marie isn't mean."_

_"She is too!" Thalia went wide eyed. "She said if I didn't go to bed on time, she'd hang me upside down from the ceiling fan."_

_"She was only joking."_

Ian smiled. The doll had managed to survive the fire in perfect condition, even when it was dropped into the main blaze. But when Marie's and Veronica's lifeless bodies were brought from the lower level...

_Fire blazed out the windows of the house. Ian remembered tucking in a sleepy Thalia. Then he silently padded downstairs to check on Veronica when the tingly feeling shuddered down his spine. Quickening the pace, he ran down the stairs to be met with a blast of heat. Fire. It erupted from the lab, and for a moment, he thought it was fine._

_Until he remembered the vent was broken. The alarms began blaring, and Marie stepped out of Veronica's room, looking for the source of the alarm when a large blast sent the support beam crashing down._

_Marie turned to Veronica's room. "Ian, get Thalia out!" Marie shouted, and he nodded, turning back to the stairs. And watched in terror as the door shut and locked itself as a safety precaution._

_He ran up the stairs, the thick, black smoke obscuring his vision. His fingers explored the wall, searching for the keypad to unlock it from the inside. Quickly typing the passcode, the door opened. Thick black smoke poured into the lab._

_Stumbling around the main level, he refrained from touching the walls. The sound of hungry flames grew louder as the blaze licked at the walls. He began coughing, falling over onto the stairs and struggling to keep his eyes open._

_An explosion from upstairs rocked the house, and he begun fading out, hearing the creaking ceiling fall apart piece by piece. Sirens sounded distant, and he fully blacked out, hearing the ceiling collapse and a child scream._

_"Daddy!"_

_Becoming conscious sometime later, he cracked open an eye. He was laid out on the front lawn, and the house was finally extinguished, wispy curls of black smoke twirling into the night air. Radio chatter echoed around him._

_He started coughing again, and the mask over his face fed fresh oxygen into his lungs. A soot-stained firefighter kneeled above him. His name was Chad. "I'm sorry, Ian."_

_"What?" A fit of coughing wracked his body. "Why?"_

_"Only you made it out," Chad looked solemn. "We couldn't find any other survivors."_

_"Chad!"_

_Around the firefighter's thick, bulky frame, a woman brought forth a wrapped bundle. She laid the bundle down on the ground. "They found her in one of the upstairs bedrooms," she told him, unwrapping the blanket. Thalia's head lolled limply to the side, her cheeks a dusty black._

_"Thalia?" Ian coughed, and she coughed weakly in response. The woman strapped an oxygen mask around the little girl's face, and she began coughing profusely._

_"She's got a lot of stuff in her lungs," the woman said. "She'll need to be transported immediately."_

_"We found bodies!"_

_His eyes began to_   _unfocus as the firefighters brought out two bodies, laying them side by side farther away. Thalia's coughing grew louder, and his senses dulled as he drifted back under._

Shaking his head, he placed the doll and photo in his nightstand. Shutting his suitcase, he added it to the other one he had packed. A guard came in, taking his suitcases and lugging them to the car. "I'll be right out, I have to check on some things."

"Of course, sir."

Making his way downstairs, he passed Donnie in the kitchen, making something to eat. Typing in the passcode for his office, he opened the door. Scanning the room, he saw Thalia, curled up and asleep on the couch. Her head rested on the arm of the couch, her face still and peaceful. An empty plate sat on the coffee table, with small crumbs dotting the pristine white surface.

"Bye, Thalia," he said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She remained motionless; she didn't move as he pulled the blankets up to cover her. Taking the plate, he brought it to the kitchen, quietly leaving it on the counter.

Heading outside, he climbed into the car, looking at the house. "We ready to go, sir?"  
  


"Yeah," Ian replied hurriedly. "Let's go."

~G.A.M.E.~

Donnie slathered mustard onto the inside of his sandwich before taking a large bite off the corner. Setting the sandwich down on his plate, he carried it to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table. Picking a movie off the section titled "Donnie and Thalia", he pulled out The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, putting it inside the DVD player.

As the opening previews rolled, he took another bite of the sandwich, going off in search for Thalia. He hadn't seen her since the day before, and a good, educated guess told him she wasn't going to be in the basement (due to its meat locker environment from almost a week ago which was still melting), so he thought she might be in Ian's office. Opening the door, he saw her asleep on the couch.

"Thalia?"

He shook her unconscious form gently. Her eyebrows scrunched together, then relaxed as she cracked her eyes open. As if she was on some kind of routine, she brought the tablet from under the blanket, placing it on the coffee table. Sitting up, her eyes looked glazed over, then she blinked, her eyes scanning the room. Landing on him, she blinked a few more times.

"What's wrong?"

She looked shocked, like she didn't know he could talk. "Come here," he said, and she shifted towards him, letting him wrap his arms around her. Nodding off in his arms, he carefully stood, carrying her to the couch in the living room.

After covering her in a blanket, he finished his sandwich, clicking play. As the movie played, he found himself getting heavier and heavier until he fell asleep.

_Bits and pieces of that night surfaced. Seth getting struck. His hand getting burned. Coulson and his team showing up. Agent Simmons attempting to resuscitate Seth. Fitz's look of pity and disappointment as he watched Donnie climb into the van._

_When he dragged his fingers along the window, and he saw the ice form, he let a small smile surface. He wasn't sure why, but maybe the machine wasn't so much of a failure after all. He quickly wiped it off and pulled the sleeves of his jacket over his hands, barely getting by on the skin of his teeth. He had only had this icy touch for a few moments. He didn't want them to lock him away for it._

_The time to the Sandbox was long. He could remember that. Sitting in the backseat of a black van, with a window to rest his head on. He sat hours on end, terrified of closing his eyes. Because if he did, the nightmares would come back. Nightmares of raining ice, pummeling people and the lightning strike to the machine._

_Next he knew, he was wandering the aisles of a corner store. Gloves. What he needed was gloves. It would serve as a perfect cover; he could say he needed them to work with the rare materials. Handing a ten to the cashier, he left, tucking the gloves into his pocket._

_As he did, a dark haired girl flew past him, her eyes briefly connecting with his. He saw the car speeding to the curb, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her back._

_The events of that afternoon played out, and the next flash he saw was the car stopping. Ian looked enraged. "Where were you?"_

_"We got a problem," one of the armed guards said, yanking the door open. Donnie was momentarily blinded, then saw the look of shock and horror on Ian's face._

_"What happened?"_

_"We don't know, we found him with her."_

_A guard took her from Donnie's arms, and Ian stood in front of the guard. His fingers ran across her forehead, traced her cheekbones, and tilted her chin up, pulling back the blood soaked jacket stuck to her neck. An ugly, deep, and oozing gash bled slowly. Shades of black, red, blue and purple danced across her neck and up the back of her head. Her skin, which from first glance was a light tan color, now had a gray cast to it, and her lips were turning blue. From Donnie's pretty bare knowledge, that meant she had lost a lot of blood. At least, that's what he thought._

_"Get her inside the chamber, now."_

_Donnie barely had any time to stretch before he was dragged to the QuinJet, forced up the stairs, and handcuffed to a chair. Seconds later, the guards had brought her inside, arranging her delicately inside the chamber. Which, in all honesty, it looked more like a high tech version of Snow White's coffin._

_"We've got maybe an hour or two before she'll have to be taken out so she won't sustain brain damage."_

_The entire ride to Florida was spent with Ian pacing the plane, every so often checking the inside and throwing murderous glares at him. Soon after he just stopped looking at him, allowing him to nod off._

_Finally, it fast forwarded to her in surgery. After she had begun coughing up the blood, the other doctor ran in. His eyes widened. "Something's wrong."_

_"Really?" Carroll asked sarcastically. "Would've never guessed."_

_She had stopped coughing, but blood still seeped from between her lips, dripping off the table and onto the floor. "I think the metal might have cut into her trachea."_

_"Well then you'll need to fix it before she chokes again," Carroll said harshly. "I'm a brain scientist and surgeon. I'm going to stick to my guns on this."_

_"But she's so small," he replied. "I'd have to be very careful or else I might cut her esophagus or some other necessity that resides in her neck."_

_"Then be careful."_

_Hours later, Carroll entered the observation room. "We have a problem."_

_Both Ian and Donnie felt their heart rates skyrocket. "What?"_

_"She pulled through," Carroll said, "which is strange because she lost so much blood. The problem is I had to medically induce a coma and her body is actually rejecting it." She sighed. "I don't know what to do. She's unconscious for now, but..."_

_Ian stood up. Holding his phone to his ear, he left. "Anyways, I need something that will keep her under long enough to let her body heal itself. She also requires a blood transfusion. And all of our stores are gone."_

_Donnie felt sick. "What's her blood type?"_

_"AB negative."_

_"I want to give her some of my blood."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"She's in this because of me," Donnie said wistfully. "The least I could do is try to help."_

_After an hour and a half and two pints of blood later, he sat at a worktable, wracking his brain for any idea what to use. Carroll entered the room. "She's actually falling under!"_

_"Really?"_

_"Yes!" Carroll said. "There's something in your blood that's actually lowering her core temperature to the point where she's taking the drugs. But she'll only be under for another few hours. After that, you'll either need to have something done or you'll have to donate more blood."_

_When she left, a thought came to him. When he was studying one night, Seth had suggested that they go to a friend's dorm. Leery, he followed, and before he knew it, they were sneaking through the girls' dorm, trying to silently navigate the hallways without waking anyone. Coming to the last door, Seth picked the lock open, and the door drifted open._

_And an ear piercing feminine scream tore through the air._

_"Callie!" Seth came forward, placing a hand over her mouth. Slowly, he turned her in a circle, with her back facing Donnie. Peeking inside the room, he couldn't help but be disappointed. The girls had about as much leeway in decoration as the boys did._

_But amidst the blandness of it, his eyes couldn't help but wander over the girl known as Callie. Her hair was like a wild thing; to him, it resembled a tumbleweed more than it did hair._ _"Callie, I'd like you to meet my roommate," Seth turned Callie around in a circle, so she was now facing him. She clutched a shirt to her chest. "This is Donnie."_

_"How nice of you to rudely intrude on a half naked girl about to take a shower to introduce your roommate," Callie snapped. "Not being mean to the kid, but..."_

_"We can go..."_

_Callie smiled. "See? He's got more manners than you, Seth Drew Dormer."_

_"That's because he's never seen a girl of your attractiveness, Callie Andrea Hannigan." Seth placed a chaste kiss on her wild hair. "He's the perfect guy for your problem."_

_"What problem?"_

_"Callie here's making a dispersion device, but she needs an Engineering major to help her with a kink she's having." Seth smiled. "And as much as I'd like to help with her kink, I have other matters to attend to."_

_"Oh, you'd just love helping me with my kink, wouldn't you?"_

_"I wish I could," Seth answered, "but like I said, I have previous engagements."_

_Shutting the door behind him, he left Donnie with Callie. "So, uh, when can I see this device and its... problems?"_

_"Don't worry about him," Callie nodded off Seth's snide comments. "He comes onto anything that's female and looks exotic."_

_She approached her desk, digging through her papers until she produced a blueprint. "It's a dispersion device that can distribute medicines over a period of time."_

_"Well what's the problem?"_

_"The problem is this..."_

He quickly woke up, seeing the credits flash on the screen. Thalia was still asleep, and he was quite curious as to why she hadn't moved. The sun was setting outside, so he turned off the movie and brought his plate to the kitchen. Returning to the living room, he glanced at Thalia, who was still sleeping.

He wanted to take her upstairs and put her in her room, but he didn't want to wake her. So he laid down on the couch next to her. Closing his eyes, he relaxed into the plush couch, drifting off into sleep.

Waking hours later, he felt a weight on his chest. Cracking his eyes open, he had difficulty seperating shadows from the rest of everything. Until he realized he was staring at pitch black hair. Gently brushing hair out of his face, Thalia's head rested squarely in the center of his chest. And she was shivering.

Placing a hand over her forehead, her skin was burning hot. Well, it was warmer than usual. Tracing his fingertips over her hairline, a thin sheen of ice covered the skin, lasting for a few seconds before melting off. "Come on," he muttered, touching her forehead and watching the ice form.

Sweat beaded on her brow. Moving off the couch, he pulled the first aid box out from under the kitchen sink, digging out a thermometer. Sticking the reader under her tongue, he clicked the power button, waiting as it gauged her temperature.

Hearing the  _ding_ of the thermometer, he pulled it out and read the interface.  _118.4_. Taking her phone from her pocket, he dialed Ian's number. " _This is Quinn, leave a message."_

"Mister Quinn, I think Thalia's sick. Like, really sick. She's running a really high fever. Call back as soon as you can."

Thalia groaned, then rolled over, her face a clammy pale color. "Everything's so hot... Where did the cold go..."

"I'm gonna find one of the guards," Donnie told her, and he stood, searching the house for any of the armed men. Bumping into someone, he looked level with a man with a gun at his hip.

"Watch where you're going," he snapped.

"Sorry," he muttered, passing by him and getting yanked into a backway. "What the--"

"There's an intruder in the house," a guard's hushed tone told him. "We're trying to find him."

"I was trying to find one of you!" Donnie hissed. "Thalia's running a ridiculously high fever, and Mister Quinn isn't returning my calls."

"What is it?"

"A hundred and eighteen point four."

"Show me."

Dragging themselves out of the back hallway, Donnie moved quickly to the living room. Thalia was still laid out on the couch, moaning in discomfort. The guard checked the thermometer, then touched her forehead. "She has food poisoning."

"Food poisoning?" Donnie said, creasing his brow. "She has an incredibly strong system. It would have to be something as bad as--"

"Rotten meat," the guard finished his thought. "The guy who's in the house has been poisoning the food that's been delivered."

"Why?"

"My guess is someone he wants some kind of ransom for the Very Important Guests in the house." The guard laughed wryly. "He isn't gonna get very far if he isn't using some kind of poison or drug."

"Maybe he isn't trying to poison us, maybe he's trying to draw Thalia out into the public. If she gets any worse, she'll have to go to a hospital, where she can easily be taken."

"I'm liking your thinking," the guard said, "but right now, it doesn't seem plausible. She's not in bad enough condition to have to leave. At this rate, she'll be better by time her father returns. Which should be by next Friday."

"To imagine, it's the Fourth of July back in America."

"I never understood that. All it was to me was a group of Brits who got tired of taking orders and bribes so they dumped their tea into the harbor."

"Will she be able to move?"

"Not for a day or two." The guard wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Her system's going to be in such unbalance, if you tried to move her, she would throw up."

"So no moving, no food..."

"Right. Don't give her any food," the guard advised. "Right now, we're assuming all the food is contaminated. Check any food you make before eating it. If it smells funny or looks odd, toss it."

"Well she can't just stay here," Donnie pointed out. "What about the guy roaming the house?"

"I was sent to find you guys, so I'll stay here with her. You go find an ice pack."

"I keep a bunch up in my room."

"Then go get one."

Sprinting up the stairs, he grabbed an ice pack out of the mini fridge in his room, then quietly ran back down the stairs. Placing the mushy pack on her forehead, Thalia stopped whimpering, slowly drifting off back to sleep. Lifting her head, he placed the pack under her cheek.

The guard's radio crackled. "We found him, Marcus," another guard said over the radio. "Inside Miss Quinn's room."

"Take him to the interrogation room." Marcus stood up, clipping the radio to his belt. "I have to go."

"I know, 'stay here with her'."

"I was going to say 'get some sleep' or 'put some water on those gills of yours'. But that works."

"Great. A new country, but people still make fun of my name. Why doesn't anyone make fun of her name?"

"Because her name is a title of respect and power."

"I've seen some of the stuff Mister Quinn does. Respect doesn't fit in there."

"Her name, not his. Ian Quinn is a man who's not afraid to make enemies in the name of power. Thalia Quinn is a young woman with a brilliant mind and potential that has yet to be fully uncovered." Marcus draped a second blanket over her frame. "Now get some sleep."  
~*~  
"He still isn't talking."

A  _crunch_ echoed off the walls of the dim interrogation room, and the man in the chair threw his head back, biting his lip in an effort not to scream. "I just want to know why you're taking the money. Normally, Ricardo, you're a very clean cut guy."

"It's not that easy, Ian."

"Really?" He cocked his gun, pointing it at Ricardo's foot. "You stole half a million dollars from me, and you aren't going to tell me why? How is it not easy?"

Squeezing the trigger, Ricardo caved. "Fine, fine! A woman told me she was carrying my child, even though I'm married with a boy. She said if I didn't give her half a million, she was going to go public."

"And is she pregnant?"

"No!" Tears streamed down his face. "But it would ruin my reputation."

"Mister Quinn!" a teenage boy entered the room, holding his cell phone. Ricardo's face fell. "You just had a call."

"From who?"

"A person named Thalia."

"Thalia," Ian tucked his gun into his jacket, swiping a finger across the screen.  _One new voicemail:Thalia._ "Thank you."

Clicking listen, he heard Donnie. " _Mister Quinn, I think Thalia's sick. Like, really sick. She's running a really high fever. Call back as soon as you can._ "

Creasing his brow, he tucked his phone into his pants pocket. "You can tell your wife and mistress that they'd better make good use of that money, because you're fired."

"You'd throw a little boy out onto the street?" Ricardo rasped. "All because of something he didn't even do?"

"You'd hardly be out on the street."

"Would you do that to her? To Thalia?"

Ian spun around slowly, seeing the victory on Ricardo's face. He knew when the man struck a nerve. "Thalia is none of your business."

"She's global news. 'Missing daughter of Ian Quinn', 'Princess Quinn's Worldwide Empire'. And those are just a few of the things I've seen." A nasty smile showed on his face.

"I've changed my mind, Ricardo," Ian said. "I won't be putting a boy out on the street. I'll be putting out a body."  
~*~  
Cleaning the spatter off his gun, Ian pulled out his phone again, clicking Thalia's contact. He put the phone to his ear. The phone picked up on the other end. "Finally."

"Donnie, what do you mean Thalia's sick?"

"Apparently, and I'm hearing bits and pieces from the guards, some guy who manages the food deliveries poisoned all the food. Thalia somehow ate rotten meat, and contracted food poisoning."

"What's her temp?"

"Last I checked, a hundred and eighteen point four."

"How the hell did it get that high?"

"Well, from my understanding, the amount of electricity in her body raises her internal temperature by ten or fifteen degrees."

"But that would mean her fever is raising her temperature by ten degrees!"

"Marcus said it isn't bad enough to require a visit to a doctor. She should get to feeling better by time your trip ends."

"Well, keep me updated."

"Can do."

Hanging up the phone, his mind flashed back to that day.

_"He's supposed to be here."_

_"They're coming up right now," Marcus pointed out. The black van roared to a stop, and the two guards jumped out._

_"Where were you?"_

_"We got a problem," one of the armed guards said, yanking the door open_.  _Donnie squinted against the light, and Ian saw the limp body in his arms._

_"What happened?"_

_"We don't know, we found him with her."_

_A guard took her from Donnie's arms, and Ian stood in front of the guard. His fingers ran across her forehead, traced her cheekbones, and tilted her chin up, pulling back the blood soaked jacket stuck to her neck. An ugly, deep gash oozed blood down the back of her neck. Dark colors stained her skin, going up her neck to the back of her head. For a moment, he thought she looked like..._

_No. She was gone. Had been for over a decade. It wasn't time to be sentimental; this girl was bleeding out. "Get her in the chamber, now."_

He shook his head to clear it. Now was not the time to be worrying about that. Leaving the dim room, he was met with blazing sunshine. "Something's come up at the compound. We have to leave early."

"Understood." The driver nodded, starting the engine. As the car pulled out of the small street, a white steam began filling the back. It made his head spin. "Is something wrong, Mister Quinn?"

A pounding headache set in, and he collapsed against the seating. His blurring vision caught sight of a gas mask over the driver's face.

_Oh no, Thalia..._  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Donnie stuck the thermometer into Thalia's mouth, clicking the power button. It didn't sound until a while later. He read the interface.  _123.9._ Placing his hand against her forehead, her skin felt like a living blaze was just underneath the surface. Uncapping the pen on the coffee table, he scribbled the numbers on the inside of his palm. A list of numbers ran down the inside of his hand.

_Friday, July 4th- 118.4_   
_Saturday, July 5th- 119.7_   
_Sunday, July 6th- 120.1_   
_Monday, July 7th- 121.5_   
_Tuesday, July 8th- 122.3_   
_Wednesday, July 9th- 123.9_

"Marcus?" The guard that stayed in the living room read the numbers off his hand. "She needs to go to a doctor. Now."

"I'll call a car," Marcus said brusquely, standing up and barking orders into his radio. Snaking his arms under her frail body, she was disturbingly light as he lifted her, holding her close to his chest. Cold radiated from his skin, and he felt the sweat on her skin soaking into his shirt. The front of hers was soaked thoroughly.

"Please pull through," he whispered, her clammy skin looking waxish. She shivered against him, and he held her tighter. Climbing into the backseat, he cradled her as the car took off. Her sweater, with its slouchy shoulders, showed her shoulder. Noticing a bruise on her upper arm, he pulled the hem down. Small in size, it stood off her skin. Lightly poking at it, blood welled up from a small hole in the middle.

_Wait a minute..._

His mind flicked through memories, searching for the one he tried to conjure. He found it, a memory of one of the torture classes.

_The teacher cleared his throat. "So, another point of torture would not only be painful things, like breaking fingers, but rather subtle things, like being drugged. Certain new chemical compounds, such as new combinations of Flunitrazepam which are used by child traffickers in Brazil, not only drug the person, but can raise temperatures and induce illnesses that closely mimic ailments like the flu and food poisoning, forcing parents to hospitalize their children. While the forced space is there, the traffickers come and take the child. This accounts for roughly fifty percent of all child disappearances."_

"Marcus, I think she's drugged."

He gripped the wheel. The car moved into the intersection, and Thalia groaned, her fingers twitching behind his neck. "Donnie..."

"Shh," he said, pulling her hair out of her face. "We're taking you to a doctor."

"Something... Feels wrong..."

"I know."

Pulling to a stop outside the hospital, Donnie took a cautious step down to the pavement, tightening his grip on her. Breezing through the doors, Marcus began speaking with the nurse. "Name?"

"Thalia."

"Last?"

"Quinn."

Taking a clipboard from the desk, she led them into a triage room. Taking a seat in the chair, Donnie held out Thalia's hand while the nurse attached a heart rate clip to her finger. "What kind of symptoms has she been showing?"

"We don't even know what she has."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. has requested all people under twenty-one list symptoms they may be experiencing to track down child traffickers using new drugs." The nurse pushed her glasses up. "Has she been exhibiting a fever? Nausea, vomiting?"

"Yes, her fevers are highly fluctuating. When she was last checked, her fevers were in the hundred and twenty zone."

The nurse scratched off several symptoms on the list. "Delusions from these high fevers?"

"Not often but yes."

"Sir," the nurse said to the guard, "she has tested positive for drugging. I'll need a sample of her blood for studying."

"Of course," Marcus nodded curtly. Pushing her sleeve up, the nurse swiftly stuck a needle into the crook of her elbow, drawing out a vial. Capping the vial and labeling it, she reached for a microphone. "This is Triage One. I have a positive."

A doctor came in. "Lay her down," she ordered, and Donnie laid her down on the exam table. "I need the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel present."

A man entered the room. "High fevers and delusions. Masking as food poisoning." He examined her shaking body. Taking a penlight, he shone it in her eyes. "Pupillary response slow. Whoever's pumping her with this did it recently. As early as within the last four hours. Cross reference all known cases with similar symptoms." The personnel looked to Marcus and Donnie. "You two brought her here?"

Donnie nodded nervously. The personnel looked Donnie in the eye, a spark of recognition showing. "Take her to a room. I need to test these two."

When the nurse and doctor cleared, the personnel sighed. "Donnie, you sneaky bastard."

"What are you--"

"Jason Mars, Biochem class."

"Oh, right. Seth talked about you." He felt his heartbeat quicken. "Guy that tried beating up a Level Ten agent."

Jason shifted uneasily. "I heard you got sent to the Sandbox. So what the hell are you doing here in Brazil? Don't tell me. Has to do with her." Jason ruffled his unruly dark blonde hair. "Are you kidding me? Youngest cadet since Fitz and Simmons and you're messing around with the daughter of Ian Quinn? What the honest hell are you thinking?"

"It's a long story."

"Obviously." Jason sighed again. "Look, people are looking for you. Both of you. Protocol states I'm supposed to call you both in, but Coulson and his team are telling everyone to leave you two be. So that's what I'm doing. But this is a serious problem. If she's being hospitalized, then she can easily be placed under probation until she recovers."

"What can you do?"

"You're the youngest, most brilliant mind since FitzSimmons. You tell me what  _I_  can do."

"Is Blake here?"

"Agent Blake?" he laughed. "No. He wouldn't come within a hundred miles of this place."

"Well good, keep it that way. Because that's my plan."

"You're using Blake's mysophobia against him?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "Seems pretty shoddy."

"Well, if he doesn't want to get his hands dirty, he won't come anywhere near here," Donnie theorized. "Even if Thalia and I are here."

"Or," Jason said, "he'll send people down here."

"This place is swept with up and coming cases of child trafficking through new drugs. They'll have to investigate those before they come through here."

"Now there's you putting that brain to use." Jason nodded. "She's in room four." Donnie turned when Jason placed a hand on his shoulder. "And Donnie," he said, "make sure she's worth it."

Nodding, they all cleared out, heading to Thalia's room. An IV ran through her arm. "They said I could go when this is empty," Thalia said, tapping the bag. Donnie smiled. "It's making everything feel a lot better."

"Really?" he sat next to her. She nodded. "Glad to know you're feeling better."

"Me too," Thalia mumbled, pressing her lips to his. She sighed. Pulling back, she added, "I would also like to inform you I apparently also had mono. Drug induced, of course, but nonetheless, mono."

"Nice to know."

"Where's my dad?" Thalia yawned.

"Still on his business trip."

"He should've been back by now."

"I know, I'm confused too." His hand cupped her face. She leaned into his touch. "Go to sleep."

Thalia pouted. "But I'm hungry."

"No food. Go to sleep."

"Donnie..."

"No."

"Can I call him?"

Donnie handed her her phone. She clicked a button and placed the phone to her ear. Nobody answered, so she handed it back. "He didn't pick up."

"Will you go to sleep now?"

"Yes, Donnie, I will."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Ian rocked forward in his chair, the headache leaving. "So, you're awake."

He looked up, seeing a man in a black suit. "Who are you?"

"I'm Agent Blake. I know all about you, Ian Quinn."

"Usually, saying you know all about me doesn't make for a very good conversation, Agent Blake."

"I don't want to talk about you. I want to talk about your daughter, Thalia."

"What's there to talk about? She's the Capitol darling. You guys seem to know her secrets before she does. Like how she acquired her electromagnetic manipulation through alien contact and survived."

"That's beside the point." Blake let a small smile show. "I'm here to talk about her rather... specific skill set."

"She's a major in BioWeapons," Ian replied. "Big deal."

"Which is strange that you know this seeing as she vanished from your life in the eleven years it took for S.H.I.E.L.D. to realize she was a BioWeapons natural."

"Well, you aren't on my proverbial need-to-know list. So no."

"You realize that we have other ways of acquiring her, Ian."

"Yes, I do. When Donnie called me telling me she'd gotten food poisoning from tainted food, I knew you guys had a hand in it. Thalia can't get sick. Her half-Asgardian system does that."

"Asgardians?" Blake smiled. "You're messing with things you don't understand."

"I messed with something I didn't understand, and I got a daughter. I'm pretty sure I knew what I was doing."

Blake laughed wryly. "She knows something she doesn't understand. We simply want what she knows."

"You're implying she knows about this said 'knowledge'--" Ian fumbled with his handcuffed hands, awkwardly making air quotes, "--even though she doesn't remember a thing. Let's not mention you haven't even told me what you think she knows is."

"Now I don't think that's any of your business, is it?"

"I think it is if this is my daughter we're talking about."

"I'd rather ask her myself."

"You won't lay a hand on her," Ian growled. "Not while she's still at my compounds with 24/7 protection."

"Well there are wolves among your sheep, Quinn. Wolves that are about to pounce on your little lamb."   
~*~  
Donnie felt his head fall forward and he immediately jerked, sitting up and taking a deep breath. Jason entered the room. "Just checking on her."

He took his penlight out of his pocket, opening her eyes and shining it in them. "Pupillary response normal." He read off the various monitors. "All vitals are normal except for brain activity and surprisingly, heart rate. Both are off the charts. Is she okay?"

"She's a Gifted." Donnie stood up. Taking out his phone, he turned it on, and the low battery screen showed. Then, taking her hand, he pushed the pad of her thumb against the the charging port. The charging icon showed.

"Wow," Jason said in awe.

Thalia stirred. "Donnie, stop making me show off. It's rude."

"He's just curious."

"You should've brought your phone charger." Thalia smiled. Turning to Jason, she asked, "So how am I doing?"

"Fine," Jason remarked. "Just need to finish your drip."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know. You've been here about a few hours." Jason tapped the IV. "Could be a while."

"Not even a ballpark figure?"

"Sorry," Jason shrugged.

Thalia growled in frustration. Jason looked up to the ceiling and watched as the lights flickered. He picked up his phone. "This is Jason. Right, I'm on it." He tucked his phone away. "Gotta go. Somebody in Triage just tested positive."

Donnie handed her his phone. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Gotta do something with that anger."

She growled deep in her throat, pressing her lips together. "You are such a--"

The nurse opened the curtain. "Miss Quinn?"

Thalia nodded. She checked her clipboard. "She's in here."

"Thank you," a woman said. The curtain was pushed aside, and a woman with chocolate colored hair in a flannel shirt breezed into the confined space. "Doctor says you're pretty sick."

"Who wants to know?"

"I'm Skye." she held out her hand. "I work with Coulson."

"Thank God," Donnie sighed. "We thought you were Blake."

"Blake's nowhere near here," Skye said assuringly. "Right now, he's looking for Quinn in Portugal."

"So can you cut the crap?" Thalia asked. "First things first, I'm not sick, I was drugged. Second of all, if Blake's in Portugal, then where's my dad?"

"I don't know." Skye shook her head. "We've been trying to contact him, but..."

"His phone number's been disconnected."

"Yeah," Skye said quietly. "So when we couldn't call him, he sent me to track you down. Stay with you until we find him."

"You may be our newly appointed guardian, but the men will only listen to Quinn," Donnie said. "So technically, Thalia's in charge."

"Right I forgot, Quinn's men," Skye muttered. "They'll only listen to a Quinn."

Jason pulled the curtain aside. "Um, we have a problem."

Donnie looked up. "Like what?"

"Blake's on his way here," Jason tapped his screen. "So much for that plan."

"He must know I'm here." Skye bit her lip. "What's your face, Jason, we need to leave. Now."

"She can't." Jason pointed a pen at Thalia. "Her treatment's not through yet."

"Can't you put it in a to-go cup and make her drink it all?"

"Nope. All of it has to be gone."

"Not even a to-go box?"

"We could do that," Donnie said. "Place her IV bag in a box and cut out a hole for the tube. Do you have a purse?"

"Yeah, I have my bag, she could put it in there."

"Jason, do you know where a box is?"

"I'll be quick."

Pulling Thalia out of bed, Skye unhooked her bag from the stand, slipping it into the box and shutting it. "There. All done."

"It's pinching my wrist!" Thalia yelped in pain. Jason fidgeted with her tube until rested against the inside of her palm. Then he placed clear tape along her arm, anchoring it down.

"Go. Now."  
~*~  
Shutting the door behind them, Skye flipped the deadbolt, sliding down the smooth door until she was sitting on the cold marble floor. "God, it's so hot here."

She lifted her head, looking around. Standing up, she wandered upstairs. Opening doors, one by one revealed things like bedrooms and bathrooms. Opening another bathroom door, she was shocked to see Thalia seated at the bathroom counter, Donnie standing in front of her. Easing her sweater off her torso, he took her arm, gently peeling tape off her arm. Skye squinted.  _He must have some self control; she's wearing nothing but a black bra and a pair of sweatpants and he isn't fidgeting._  Freeing the tube from her skin, he slowly drew the needle from her arm, placing its cap on. Setting the IV on the counter, she steered him to the door.

When it shut behind him, he turned his head and saw Skye. His face reddened and he disappeared downstairs. A smile lit up her face, and she followed him downstairs. Cornering him in the kitchen, she heard him groan, then turn to face her. "What was that about, Donnie?"

"I was removing her IV so she could shower."

"While she was half naked?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly take the needle out with her sweater falling down her arm."

"That's bull and we both know it." Skye smiled, becoming sing-songy. "Donnie's being a teenager, Donnie's being a teenager."

"Will you stop?" Donnie asked, annoyance clear in his voice.

"I am curious as to how long this has gone on," Skye asked teasingly. "Did Quinn know about this?"

"Why don't you just kill me now?"

"He didn't know?" Skye laughed. Then she gasped. "Were you two..?"

"No." Donnie glared at her. "And I don't see why it's your business."

"Halfway."

"What?"

"You went halfway," Skye circled him.

"So?"

"Ward definitely owes me money."

"You guys are betting on my nonexistent sex life?"

Skye smirked, barely able to contain her laughter. "Not too nonexistent anymore, according to you."

Donnie groaned. Shaking his head, he scrubbed out a dirty pot, rinsed it and filled it with water, setting it on the stove. "So, how much stalking do you plan on getting done?"

"Me? Stalk you? Psh, please."

"Uh huh," Donnie replied off handedly, adding salt to the pot of water and turning on the burner. Thalia quietly passed behind Skye. "Hi, Thalia."

"Wait, what?" Skye spun quickly to see Thalia. "When did she get here?"

"Just now." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Spaghetti?"

"Sounds good," Thalia replied, kissing him on the nose.

"Ew, if you're gonna do that, do that someplace else." Skye scrunched her nose. "This is a kit-- we're in a kitchen."

"So?"

"So, no sex on the counters."

"That's disgusting," Thalia replied, curling her lip in disgust. Pulling away from Donnie, Thalia pulled out bread from the freezer. Skye watched the two work to make dinner. It was like a dance; Thalia jumped from counter to counter, bringing down pasta and garlic salt for the bread. Donnie trailed behind her, watching as she fetched things from the higher cabinets.

"So, did you get anything off that tablet?"

"No," Thalia sighed. "I was too sick to move. All I saw was something about the NYVU."

Skye looked up from he phone. "I know what that is."

Thalia turned sharply, a large bread knife in hand. "What is it?"

"Whoa, easy tiger," Donnie took the knife from her hand, setting it on the counter. "No knives during civilized conversation."

"NYVU is the New York Vigilante Unit," Skye answered. "Worked with vigilantes."

"Vigilantes?"

"You want to put a fine point on it, then you could say New York Superhero Unit."

"Iron Man's a vigilante?"

"Don't even get me started," Skye sighed. "I tried saying Captain America was a vigilante, but Coulson got super pissed. So I try not to say anything about it. But I can tell you that her mom and Thor come from the same place."

"Asgardians."

Skye cocked her head at Donnie. "So you know about them."

"Mister Quinn told me," Donnie shrugged. "Her mom and aunt were some kind of voodoo queens. Practiced magic and all."

"That's sorcery, Donnie," Thalia corrected him gently. "Sorceresses."

"Your mom was actually here a while back," Skye said. "With Lady Sif on her ass for escaping prison. You look a lot like her, you know. Except for the red hair and eyes."

Thalia looked at a black strand of hair before tucking it behind her ear. "I get my hair from him."

"But we're all confused," Skye dragged her finger across her phone screen. "How did Ian Quinn manage to procreate with an Asgardian and have offspring?"

"I'm eighteen years old, you don't need to put blinders on me. My dad, a billionaire, had sex with an Asgardian, a superior race of beings, and from that, had a daughter who managed to survive to adulthood. A daughter who possesses Asgardian characteristics, like near invulnerability. My bones can't break, and I don't get sick as easily as everyone else." Thalia took the knife, drawing it across the bread. "Asgardian genes are incredibly strong, but lower species, such as human beings, don't have genes strong like that. Once in a while, you'll get humans with extraordinarily strong genes, and you'll get Asgardians with slightly weaker genes.

"The strong genes in the human will make up for the deficiency in the Asgardian's genes. If they had sex, then yes, a child could be created," Thalia said, breaking the bread clean in half. "But with that comes certain drawbacks. Unless someone comes along with strong genes, I won't be able to have children of my own."

Skye was the first to break the silence. "You seem to have given this a lot of thought."

"I'm a geneticist." Thalia shrugged, the purposely placed nonchalant expression giving away her emotions. "It's what I do."

"Hey," Donnie pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "It's okay."

"I know," Thalia said quietly. Turning around, she placed her head against his chest. She sniffled, then turned around, placing the bread on a cookie sheet. Sliding it into the oven, she tied her hair out of the way. "Anyways, who wants garlic bread?"

Skye knew she wanted to drop the subject. Saying "Me" quietly, Thalia pulled the cheese and butter from the fridge. She melted the butter, pouring it into a bowl, adding garlic salt and mixing it together. Taking the bread out, she took a basting brush and slathered the garlic butter on the crisping surface.

Sitting down at the counter, she watched as Donnie drained the pasta, mixing in normal butter. They ate in silence. After clearing up, Thalia silently disappeared upstairs, with Donnie following behind her. Following them upstairs, she sat outside Donnie's door, listening. "Donnie, do you think I'll ever find someone like that?"

"Yeah, you will," Donnie answered, a hint of sadness lacing his voice. "I know you will."

_He doesn't see himself as good enough. Why?_

The bed creaked, and Thalia left to her room. Skye stood, standing in front of Donnie's doorway. "What was that about?"

"I don't really have time for this," Donnie said, moving past her. Skye tried holding him back, but he was obviously taller than her, and probably weighed more, so she was flung aside as he made his way to the bathroom. His towel hung over his shoulder.

"Donnie, please."

Sighing, he turned around, his dark hair messy and his blue eyes ringed with shadows. "Why don't you see yourself as good enough for her?"

"Because," Donnie paused to gain his words, "because once she starts going back out in public, she'll likely meet a guy who'll be nice to her. I'll go back to Delaware or someplace, find my own way. We'll drift apart. It's a fact I need to face. This isn't going to be forever. It's a temporary situation."

Skye was taken aback. "That seems like a pretty morbid outlook for such a young age."

"I learned at a young age that life is morbid." He took a step backwards. "I didn't exactly grow up in the best environment."

"You think she grew up in any better circumstances?"

"She's Ian Quinn's daughter, I have no doubt she did."

"Well, she didn't." Skye said bluntly. "She lived with him until she was eight, when a house fire destroyed her home, killed her stepsister and stepmom, and destroyed her life. S.H.I.E.L.D. abducted her, took her to New York, where they erased her. Made her into someone else, someone else that had a horrible upbringing. Her foster mother submitted her to torturous experiments. Thalia was gone. Some girl named Anna took her place. And the best part? She doesn't know. She doesn't remember that she used to be tortured and beaten for information."

"She was tortured and beaten in the NYVU?"

"The people her and the NYVU encountered." Skye looked at the railing, tracing the grooves in the wood. "Her scars were the results of it."

"Those four across her ribs?"

"Yes. She was--"

"Where's Miss Quinn?" Marcus asked.

"In her room," Donnie pointed to her room. "Why?"

"Someone's on the property, and it's not our guest."

"Who is it?"

"Nobody can get close enough to see him, but someone from S.H.I.E.L.D."

Donnie knocked on Thalia's door. She opened the door, a bruise on her arm from the IV. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied. Passing by her, he sat on the bed, and she laid down on him, her head resting on his chest. His arm was draped over her chest, covering the scars. "Just seeing if you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He looked up, and Skye was gone. "I don't know, I just think you go around, carrying all this sadness with you."

"I'm not able to have kids," Thalia said morosely. "I think that's pretty depressing. Not to mention my dad's missing."

"Well, I'm right here."

"I can hear you," she turned her head. "Your heart's beating ridiculously loud."

"You have that effect on me."

"I do?" she smiled, laying down on top of him. Their noses brushed together, and his heart skipped, chilling his breath. "Why so nervous?"

"You also have that effect on me."

"I didn't use to have that effect on you," Thalia said teasingly. She stretched forward, making the hem of his shirt slowly ride up his stomach. "What changed?"

"I get this weird feeling that you're about to tie me to one of the poles on the footboard."

"What would I tie you up with?" Thalia's voice dropped to a husky whisper. "Most certainly not my tube."

Steam escaped from between his lips. Her lips came closer and closer to his until they softly pressed together. Pulling back, she said amusedly, "And besides, you look about as threatening as a snowman in a band tee."

"Like the one guarding Elsa's castle?"

She grinned impishly, pressing her lips to his. "That one growled. A lot."

Growling softly, Donnie sat up, pressing his lips to hers, feeling his cold breath dissipate. Deepening the kiss, he growled again. She growled softly in response. Pulling back, she kept their faces centimeters apart, her fingers teasing the hair at the nape of his neck. "He also had sharp teeth," she panted, and he kissed her again, taking her bottom lip between his teeth and gently biting it. He faintly heard a radio.

She sighed, crushing their lips together. It felt like being high, his hands traveling up and down her back. She began to giggle. "And his name..." she said between fits of laughter, "...was Marshmallow."

"Marshmallow?" Donnie said against her lips. Pulling away from her, he quickly rolled over, making her squeal as he pinned her wrists above her head. "What kind of name is that?"

"The name of the snowman?" Thalia volunteered feebly.

"You were just doing that," Donnie said, "and you were making me believe I was this big snowman--"

She laughed. "Which you are."

"--whose name was  _Marshmallow_."

"You didn't ask what the snowman's name was."

"I suppose I didn't." Donnie laid down on top of her. She squeaked, his chest resting squarely on hers. Her breathing hitched, making her heart skip. "I didn't used to have this effect on you," he said teasingly. "What changed?"

"That's not fair," Thalia said breathlessly, her heart beating impossibly fast against her ribcage. Its beat was raucous. To her, anyways. "Using my words against me."

"I get it from you," he replied, stretching upwards to kiss her nose. She could feel his skin touch hers, and tingles shot down her spine. "You could say you're rubbing off on me."

Their lips connected. And Thalia suddenly felt a piercing pain fire through her arm. "Ow!" she said in surprise. Pushing Donnie off, she shined her arm under the light. Under her elbow, a small drip of blue liquid slid down her arm. Swiping her finger across her arm, she brought her finger to her nose, smelling the odd liquid.

"What is it?"

"It smells like..." she sniffed it again, "I think it's... dendro--"

She collapsed. "Dendrotoxin," Donnie said quietly. He quickly felt a pinprick in his back, and the world went dark.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Skye? Skye! Skye, come in!"

Coulson pounded the edge of the holocom with the heel of his hand. May and Jemma were on either side of the table, watching Skye's radio feed. "Rewind the feed to the last known sign of audio."

Typing a few keys, audio began playing.

_"Where's Miss Quinn?" a guard asked._

_"In her room," Donnie replied. "Why?"_

_"Someone's on the property, and it's not our guest."_

_"Who is it?"_

_"Nobody can get close enough to see him, but someone from S.H.I.E.L.D."_

The three heard Skye quickly pad downstairs. They could hear guards talking nervously.  _"What's wrong?"_

_"That one man, Blake, he's on the property."_

_Skye cursed quietly. "Has someone radioed Donnie and Thalia?"_

_"Neither is responding."_

_"Well, someone needs to--"_ The audio cut out. A pop-up came up.  _Visual data recorded_. Clicking the icon, a video played.  _"Guys, it's me. Blake has infiltrated the compound. I don't know how many men he has, but all the guards are out. Not sure how many are dead._

_"Donnie and Thalia... I don't know where they are. I'm in this room at the end of the hall, upstairs. It was passcode locked for some reason. Passcode is one-one-one-zero._

_"Damn, there are guys upstairs." The door opened an inch, and the camera fit in the opening. Blake and four men left a room._

_"Get them to the car."_

_The camera panned up, and it briefly caught a glimpse of Donnie's face. "Sir, she's awakening."_

_"Put her under again."_

_A man entered the camera's view, Thalia slung over his shoulder. In the blink of an eye, her fingers wrapped around the gun, whipping it out and firing two shots. The guard sank to the ground._

_She did a spin, pointing it at another man and firing it at his shoulder. He fell, and before Blake could fire a shot, she was behind him, the gun against the back of his neck._

_"I know you won't pull that trigger," Blake said. "You wouldn't put his life in danger."_

_"Two of your men are critically injured," Thalia said, an unnatural calmness to her voice. "Who says I won't put you back in the ICU?"_

_"Garrett should've let you die."_

_"I don't die easily," Thalia replied. Suddenly, her back stiffened, and she collapsed, the gun clattering across the floor._

The video ended. "We need to find Skye _._ "

"Sir, what was that?"

"Her training," Coulson said. "Her training in the NYVU."

"What's the NYVU?"

"New York Vigilante Unit."

"Who's on it?"

"Some you might've heard of," Coulson said. "One's a bit of a supernova. Another was named Peter."  
~*~  
Ian opened his eyes at the sound of a door behind him opening. "So, when are we going to talk?"

"When it's a cold day in hell, Blake."

"Funny. I've never been one for not following through on words."

A light flicked on, and Ian turned his head, seeing Donnie and Thalia tied together. His eyes widened. "So, we are going to play a game. I'm going to ask each of you a question. Answer correctly, nothing happens. Incorrectly, and you'll see blood."

Thalia began moving listlessly, and Blake stood before her, firing a shot at her chest. She choked out a gasp before falling silent, her chin touching her sternum. "You bastard!" Ian spat.

"She takes after you, you know." Blake crouched in front of her. "She shot two of my men into critical condition."

Blake looked at the two of them. "First question. Why did you rush to save her when you first didn't know who she was?"

Ian took his time pondering his answer. After what felt like almost twenty minutes, Thalia began moving again. "She was dying. I wouldn't let her--"

"Wrong." Taking out a knife, he tilted her head up, drawing the blade across her cheek. A line of red trailed after it, and she whimpered. "Why?"

"Because when I first saw her, she reminded me of my little girl." He watched as the blood slid down her cheek, listening to the soft pattering of the red drops hitting the floor.

"Now that's more like it." Blake placed the knife on the table. "Now, for her question." He shook her awake. "Thalia, what do you remember?"

"You never gave me a reference point to start," she replied groggily.

"What do you remember of the accident?"

"A cross walk."

"Is that it?"

"You only said one question a person."

Blake smiled. "We're going to have fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback on the story! The link for the robe (it's sold at Hot Topic but is currently out of stock) is: http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Girls/Sleepwear/Disney+Snow+White+Satin+Robe-10097330.jsp


	14. The Cellar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, more free time! Since apparently my mother values a white boy's education over mine and made me help him with his schoolwork (and this kid is in summer school, so imagine my frustration), while he's waiting for his father to help him with a quiz, I can do this. Note: this has mentions of torture (I am horrible at writing them directly, but there are flashbacks), so if you are sensitive to stuff like that, you can skip it.

Donnie felt the pinprick in his back, and he collapsed, the dendrotoxin slowly pumping through his veins. Next he he felt himself being anchored to a chair. And when opened his eyes, he heard a scream. "No! Stop!"

_Stop what?_

"No, stop, I'll tell you!"

_Tell who what?_

Then his chair rocked, and he heard a groan of pain. His heartbeat was scary; it was beating so fast he thought it beat straight out of his chest. Looking around, he could barely see a thing. Until a blinding bright light shined above him, and the area around him was illuminated. He could see the legs of a table, shaking as something pounded on its surface. Looking down, he could see bloodstains. Small, but still blood. The light shut off, and he stretched his fingers experimentally. Wherever his hands were, he could feel an erratic pulse. Soft sobbing was heard, and a sigh of disappointment laced the air. "Honestly, Ian, you are such a liar, you can't even protect your own daughter."

"Just stop. Me, hurt me."

"No, that's not good enough. You're a sociopath, training yourself to be emotionless. Even though she came back, you distanced yourself from her because it was the only thing you knew. Killing people was the only thing you knew.

"And yet, she hasn't broken," Blake said, clearly amused. "Because she's done this before. Tortured to the point of lost consciousness. Although she's looking a bit too still for that."

Closing his eyes, Blake came around to face Donnie. "It's interesting; you'd think she'd inherit the same void-like, sociopath personality, but he is unharmed." Blake turned sharply on his heel. "Unlock the cuffs."

Someone jammed a key into his cuffs. With a quick twist, his arms fell, and he fell, landing on his chest. Gasping for air, he saw Blake's face twisted into a sneer. He left, leaving a bare bulb on.

His eyesight adjusted, and he rolled over, staring at the support beams in the ceiling. "Donnie!"

He turned his head. Ian was staring at him. "I need a little help."

Standing, he took the metal links and froze them, easily snapping them. Ian stood up, taking the three steps from the table to Thalia's chair. Lifting her into his arms, he placed her on the table. "Donnie, can you shine the light over here?"

Taking the chair, he unhooked the wires holding the bulb to the ceiling, carefully unwinding it. Climbing down, he guided the bulb over to the table.

He could only watch as Ian pulled strands of her hair from the numerous bleeding cuts covering her body. "Blake did that?"

Ian nodded. "He asked the two of us questions, and each time one of us got something wrong, he would do this." He gave Donnie a look. "Obviously, she told nothing but the truth, because you are unharmed."

"You must feel so proud of yourself," Donnie spat venomously. "Knowing you can't even tell the truth long enough to prevent your daughter from getting butchered."

Ian fell silent. Pushing him away, he handed Ian the wire while he stood next to her, his hands running over her. He placed a hand on her chest, feeling a weak beat. His ear hovered over her face, hearing her ragged breathing. "She's breathing," Donnie said quietly. "Find me something to clean off the cuts. There should be a sink somewhere over in that direction." He waved an arm behind him, gesturing towards the darkness. Following his instructions, Ian came back with a bowl of water and a rag. Pulling the chair up behind him, he wet down the rag, wiping the blood off her face.

"Donnie, how did you know there was a sink under the boarded up window?"

"Because I have a faint idea of where we are."

As her face became cleaner, the water became bloodier. "One cut over her left eyebrow. Another across the top of her lip, and one final gash along her cheek."

"What do you mean?"

"When I fell out of my chair, I almost cracked a rib on the broken concrete."

"So?"

"And I had to unwind the wire carefully because the support beam is splintering."

"You've either got some gift of echolocation, or there's something you're not telling me, because there's no way you know all of this from first glance."

"Either, this is a really disused basement..." Donnie paused. "Or Blake has somehow managed to recreate my old workshop."

~*~

Coulson stomped up the steps of Ian's compound. Opening the door, the smell of death permeated through the air. "Where was this room?"

"Upstairs," May said quietly, holding her gun. Stepping over a dead body, she made her way slowly up the stairs. "We're clear."

He nodded, following her to the second floor hallway. "Skye?"

"Coulson?"

He began moving to the left end of the hallway. "Where are you?"

She began pounding on the door. His eyes flitted upwards, seeing a door rattle. Kneeling in front of the door, Coulson stared at a keypad. "What's the passcode?"

"Eleven ten!"

"Thalia's birthday," Coulson muttered, entering the digits. A hissing noise filled the air, and the door opened. Skye sighed, exiting the room. "Oh, thank God, I have to pee!" she sighed in relief, running off in the opposite direction.

May lowered her gun. "Coulson, if the passcode for this room is her birthday..."

"Then there's something in there that correlates."

~G.AM.E.~

Donnie continued cleaning the blood off her body, having to run and refill the bowl several times. But no matter what, she seemed to get paler by the minute. "I'm surprised with how much he liked cutting between her ribs, he didn't see the scars," Donnie said lowly. Ian turned away. "He cut her in such a fashion to torture her with the pain," he added.

"I get it, no need to shame me," Ian spat. "I am a horrible father."

"It's not that," Donnie shook his head. "She was tortured to the point where she passed out. It's not that you aren't a good father; it's that she was tortured because you valued your secrets more than her life. It simply comes down to this: you would have let her die before you caved. That is why you should be feeling guilt. You would have sacrificed the life of your only surviving child before you told S.H.I.E.L.D. about the dark and dirty things you've done."

"Like you should talk."

"Oh yeah, like I should talk. Donnie Gill killed a schoolmate when in reality, it was an invention malfunction. I've come to terms with it. It wasn't me who wanted to build that, it was Seth. He wanted to impress his father, who worked for you, I might add, so he 'befriended' me and manipulated me into building it. And Donnie Gill almost killed the lost daughter of Ian Quinn." Donnie took Thalia's roped hands, freezing the thick bands of twine until they broke apart. He took her wrists, rubbing the angry red marks from her skin. "I've come to terms with that as well."

Thalia turned her head. "Numb... leg is numb..."

"Which one, Thalia?" But she had already fallen back under. Taking the light from Ian's hand, he waved it over her legs, stopping at a pulsing gash in her thigh.

"Which question was this?"

"Why I shot the girl."

"What girl?"

"Skye."

Donnie couldn't help but feel high levels of anger flood him, making frost begin to creep against the base of the light bulb. "And you  _lied_?"

Ian faltered for a moment before replying. "Yes."

Donnie pressed his fingers along the cut, seeing blood spill over the edge and beginning to drip on the table. "I need some kind of tourniquet. Like a belt or rope or..."

"Here." Ian pulled his belt off, handing it to Donnie and watching him tighten it around her skin. Collapsing into the chair, Donnie just stared blankly ahead. Ian still stood, his fingers tracing her hairline. "I'm sorry, Thalia." As her breathing evened out, Donnie took her hand, making sure not to bother the cut on her palm. Then tucking his arms under his head, he fell asleep.

~*~

Waking slowly, she felt like she was made of lead. Cold, dank air danced across her skin. The air smelled coppery. And her leg was numb.

Taking her uncut hand, her fingers slowly touched at her thigh. Liquid warmth slid under her fingertips, and she felt leather against her inner thigh. She felt lightheaded, so she placed a hand against the smooth and cold surface. Memories slowly surfaced, making her body ache and throb dully.

_"An agent was shot by you. Why?"_

_"She had been messing with things that weren't hers, and I--"_

_He brought the knife upwards. "No, stop!"_

_His hand tightened its grip around the hilt. "No, stop, I'll tell you!"_

_His arm swung downwards, burying the bloodied knife into her thigh. A gasp bubbled up and out of her mouth, and she gritted her teeth as he twisted it around, the back of her head touching someone else's. Then he ripped it out, and a groan of pain left her lips._

_But in truth, it wasn't just pain. It was burning, freezing, heart pumping pain. The knife ripped through her skin, filling her with a burning sensation, concentrated around her thigh. Then when it was ripped out, the burning was immediately replaced with freezing. She grew colder and colder as blood, hot, thick, red blood, pumped out of her skin. And she grew heavier and heavier until she finally just gave out._

Did it really take her being tortured to see him be honest?

All of a sudden, light shined against the backs of her eyes. "I've never seen anything like it," Ian muttered, his fingers gently touching her cheek. Waves of cold passed over her skin.

"It's icing over," Donnie said, clearly in awe. "Her skin is healing due to the Asgardian blood, and you can see it with the way the ice creeps along her skin as it does."

"Will it melt off?"

"I don't know." Donnie touched her thigh, and sparks danced between her fingers.  _Damn it, I shouldn't be getting worked up over him touching me. He does it all the time!_  "Whoa, did you see that?"

"She's reacting to you," Ian replied. "Meaning she's probably close to waking up."

Although she knew she probably wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, she knew he was considering the  _other_  option. The  _we are definitely getting close enough that those kinds of touches run the possibility of becoming more_ option. It was actually strange; they had grown so close that common touching, like anything above the belt, was considered to be a form of faith and trust. But that...

_No, don't think that; you're rushing yourself._

"Don't touch her!" Ian snarled, and she could hear a scuffle until there was a loud  _thwack_ , the men dragging something up the stairs.

Sometime later, she felt Donnie pick up her hand, running the pad of his thumb along her palm. Her fingers curled towards him. "The cut on her hand's gone," he noted quietly, lightly squeezing her hand.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, blinking away the crustiness in the corners. Donnie placed a hand on her cheek, turning her head slightly. "All the cuts have healed-- Hey," he said, suddenly seeing her awake. She sat up, wanting to stand, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your leg isn't healed yet. I'm afraid it's gonna require something more than just ice and magic blood."

She looked down, seeing a belt strapped to her thigh. And below it, the gash that the man had created. It oozed blood and a light substance that reeked and festered. Pus. "Will it scar?"

"Your neck didn't," Donnie replied. "And none of the others did."

"Where are we?"

"I don't know. But Blake made this place look like my old workshop. So we could be anywhere."

Thalia reached out, illuminating the entire floor with the lights above. Every detail was outlined: the cracked concrete near the center of the room, a work table and bench along the wall closest to the stairs, a sink that sat under a boarded up window.

"I think my leg's going numb."

"I can't take that off," Donnie told her. "We can't dress the wound, and even if we could, that knife ripped through some muscles, by the way it didn't stop bleeding for almost five minutes. You wouldn't be able to walk."

The door opened, and the man--who Donnie informed her that his name was Blake-- came downstairs, a smug smile on his face. She spun around, firing a bolt of electricity and searing the wall. Then her leg collapsed under her, and Donnie caught her, trying to lift her while she whimpered in pain, holding her leg.

"Don't think you should be walking," Blake regarded snidely. "It might hurt you."

"You bastard," Thalia growled, fighting back tears. Blood covered her hands, beginning to pulse through her fingers.

"I've been called that a lot," Blake said. "You saying it doesn't hurt me anymore than anybody else."

"She needs to get that treated," a guard said. "That looks like it's infected."

"She's only had it for a little longer than a day." Blake dismissed him. "It's not like your bowstring muscle twinges, Barton."

"You're torturing  _teenagers_ , Blake," Barton said gravely. "And with her unique...  _capabilities_ , healing could have accelerated."

"If I ask for your opinion, Clint, I'll ask for it. But I didn't. So shut it." Blake turned back to Thalia and Donnie. "I want my formula. Can she recall it?"

Thalia sneered. "The only thing I'll recall is me sticking my foot so far up your ass my dark blue toenails will tickle your tonsils, Lively."

"Lively?"

"Blake Lively, sir," Barton smirked. "A woman."

Blake scoffed haughtily. "If I was going to do something about it, I'm not now." He glanced at the oozing gash in her thigh. "Pain gets pretty unbearable after another day or so."

Blake disappeared. Barton held a box to his chest. "He never said I couldn't do anything about her," Barton said, setting the box on a chair. Lifting her into his arms, he set her down carefully on the table, opening the box. Turning on the lightbulb, her leg was illuminated. Blood oozed down her leg. "What's your name?"

"Thalia, sir."

"Well, Thalia, I'm gonna take this belt off and try to clean that gash." Slowly pulling the belt off, the blood began to pump into her leg. She hissed in pain, gripping the table. "Try and lay down," he helped her lay flat. "That way blood circulation won't hurt so much."

She stared at the ceiling as he rolled up her pant leg, and flinched when he began washing her skin. "Quit squirming, kid."

"It's freezing!"

"You, what's your name?"

"Donnie, sir."

"Well, Donnie, can you wash off the blood? I need to dig through the box and find what I need."

Taking the rag, he washed her leg, sneaking nervous glances at Barton. He had brought out several things, and still going through the box for more. "All done."

"Good," Barton muttered, lining up the bottles in a specific order. Taking the first one, he opened it, sniffing the contents. "This will burn," he said quickly, which functioned as some quick assurance it would help as he poured the contents onto her leg. She squeezed her eyes shut, and choked sobs and screams of pain hissed from between her lips as he cleaned it. The metal began bending under her clenched fist. "Now this will numb it," Barton said, pushing a needle into several places around the gash. Blissful numbness spread through her leg, and he added mixed contents of the other bottles to the cut. A pile of gauze pads formed on the table, covered in pus and eventually blood. "Well, damn."

"What?" Donnie looked at Barton.

"It's infected," Barton shined the light on the gash. It wasn't oozing blood, just lots of pus. "I can't stitch her up if it's infected. She's half and half, but she can still get things like this."

"Half and half like half Asgardian?"

"You know?" Barton scowled. "Well, I would try and impress you by saying I've worked with one, but you're sleeping with one, so I think that tops mine."

"We aren't sleeping together like that," Thalia snapped.

"Oh, well my bad, I would just assume that considering how unafraid he is to touch you."

"Well then, I would  _just assume_  that you need to get your head out of your ass and keep your eyes on the sky, birdbrain."

"They always are, sweetheart." Barton pressed something into her hand. "Take this."

"Why?"

"Turn it on when I leave," Barton said, placing a bandage on the wound then shutting the box. "Then I can say you nabbed it off of me."

"What is it?"

"Don't turn it on until I leave, are we clear?"

She nodded frantically. As soon as Barton vanished up the stairs, Donnie helped her sit. "Should we listen to him?"

"He's not the most trustworthy guy, but we should."

And they both watched as Thalia flicked it on.

~G.A.M.E.~

Coulson let his eyes wander over each item, each decoration. Every toy. He squinted. "May, what is this?"

"It looks like a shrine." May nudged a stuffed animal with her gun. "To whom, I don't know."

Coulson picked up a stuffed elephant and squeezed it. It made a crinkling noise. Squeezing it again, it sounded like paper was inside. Taking out his pocketknife, he drew a precise line along the seam, exposing a folded paper inside amidst the stuffing.

Pulling it out and unfolding it, he scanned the paper. His eyes widened. "May."

She approached him. Handing her the paper, he said, "Don't tell me that doesn't look like the miniature gravity distortion machines we encountered when we first ran into Quinn."

"What are they doing inside a stuffed animal?" May turned the gutted animal in her hand. "These look years old."

"Start slicing them up, see what you can find."

Tossing her the pocketknife, she checked each one methodically, slicing open ones that made crinkling noises. Skye stood outside the door. "You aren't going to help?"

"I was locked in there for a day and a half. I'm not going back in there."

Coulson's phone beeped. Whipping it out, a notification on his screen flashed.  _Babies are in the nest_. "What the hell?"

"What?"

"My phone just sent me a weird notification saying there were babies in a nest," Coulson laughed wryly before blanching. "Wait a minute. Babies in the nest, that's a code."

"For who?"

"Barton."

May stood. "Agent Barton?"

"Yeah, he's saying his safehouse has been breached."

"By who?"

Skye peered in the room. "Who's Barton?"

"He worked with us in New York."

"Worked as in he was an  _Avenger_?" Skye smiled slyly.

"Babies in the nest, someone's in his safehouse. Who are the babies?"

"Baby birds?"

"Well that's clear. Children are in his safehouse."

"Wait, Coulson," Skye stopped to think. "Aren't all the safehouses accessible by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Yes."

"So babies could mean children and the only children we're concerning ourselves with are--"

"Donnie and Thalia."

"So Blake's holding them in Barton's safehouse." May took a look at the phone screen. "Question is, where is it?"

~*~

Thalia held her small whatever it was from Barton, her eyes closing as she drooped against the chair. The side of her head touched the edge of the table. She jerked awake, sitting up straight. "Donnie?"

"Yes?"

"What's the date?"

"We've been down here for maybe a day or so, so I'd have to guess maybe the eleventh or twelfth of July." He came around the corner, a bowl of cold water and a cleaner rag in hand. "Barton said he'd come down once a day to clean that and bring food."

Sitting across from her, he dipped the corner of the rag in the water, bringing it back and running it across her face. As he cleaned her face, she looked at the ceiling. "Why do we end up in these situations?"

"Believe me, I've been asking myself that question for the past three months."

"Been catching up on your Harry Potter, have you?"

"Was."

She sighed. The door opened, and Barton came down the stairs. He held the first aid box under his arm, and a bag in the other. "You want to eat before or after I clean that?"

"Definitely after," Thalia said, sitting straight. "Why do you have to bring the box down here?"

"Blake says you're a BioWeapons major." Barton smirked, peeling off the dirty bandage. "And half the stuff in here is poisonous."

"Really?"

"Yep." Barton pulled out a bottle with the number one on the side. "You actually look familiar."

"Definitely my appearance at Hotel Monaco would do that. The unveiling of a lost legacy."

"No, I met this kid once, he was real sarcastic, complained about how one of his friends had this girlfriend. About your height, black hair, brown eyes. Wore this comet ring his buddy gave her. Then she just dropped off the grid. Nobody knows where she went." She gritted her teeth as he began to clean the gash. "It looks better."

"What is it you gave me?" Thalia asked, twirling the small object in her fingers.

"It's a beacon."

"Well, it's broken." Thalia tossed the beacon to the table. "Nothing happened."

"It's on, I assure you," Barton replied gruffly. "Whether anyone answers or not is completely left to chance."

"Where is he?"

"Blake?"

"My dad."

"He's upstairs. Locked in some room watching torture footage on replay." Barton tensed. "While I don't approve of the things Ian Quinn has done, and I would gladly put an arrow through his eye socket, he still doesn't deserve watching his daughter get stabbed over and over."

Barton eyed her leg. "Let's see if you can stand." He helped her stand, and leading her forward, watched as her knee buckled. "Nope." Helping her sit, he sat back on his heels. "Well, you are immobile. How the hell does Blake expect you to get your work done when you can't even move?" Barton eyed her pitifully. "Here. Your food."

Standing, he shut the first aid box, dragging himself up the stairs. Donnie washed his hands in the basin, then wiped his hands on his pants, joining her at the table. Opening the bag, they emptied out the contents. It was as thus: two Subway sandwiches and two bags of chips.

Peeling the wrapping off one, it revealed a plain meat and cheese, same as the other one. Handing one to Donnie, she bit into hers, relishing the taste of food against her starved body. She exercised caution, seeing as if she ate too quickly, she'd be sick.

"It's okay, Thalia." He placed a hand on her knee, the cold radiating off his skin making her leg numb. "You can eat."

"I know, and I am." She shoved him playfully. "Just be careful with your food. I'm not in the best physical shape to give you Heimlich."

"Oh be quiet."

The lights switched off. Looking up, she easily turned them back on. Muttering in annoyance, she continued to eat, ignoring the set of steps coming down the stairs. "Lights go off, they stay off."

"They stay on until we are done."

Donnie wanted to quiet her, seeing as he could sense a fight brewing between Blake and Thalia. "Thalia, I don't think--"

"No, Donnie," she suddenly spat, her chair grinding against the concrete as she turned around. "Let's get one thing straight. You are not the boss of me, never have and never will. So get that through your paper skull."

"You talk big for such a small person," Blake smirked. "Your dad did that."

"Until you locked him in a room with you torturing me on replay." Thalia watched his face go blank. "I'm not an idiot. You love holding your thumb over people and when they get out from under you, all of a sudden it's not okay."

"Thalia, stop." Donnie looked scared as Blake's face began to turn red. "You've said enough."

Huffing, she turned back to her sandwich. Blake turned to the stairs, stomping up them hard enough to possibly break them.

~G.A.M.E.~

"This is insane," Coulson said in awe as May tossed the last of the gutted animals to the floor. The bed had a pile of folded papers, all inside various animals. "How..?"

"Nobody came in here," May shrugged her shoulders. "Seemed like the perfect way."

Skye's phone rang. She walked down the hall, talking to someone indistinctly. "...and you're sure? Well, okay." She ran back to the room. "A.C., Triplett just called. Someone activated a tracking beacon. He went to check it out."

"No offense, but that isn't relevant to our investigation." May checked some of the papers. "These are weapons schematics. Quinn was hiding weapons schematics in stuffed animals."

"The tracking beacon was Barton's."

"Then why wasn't I given the notification?"

"Because he still thinks you're dead," Skye answered. "Since you were his handler, the handler ship would've gone over to..."

"Garrett," Coulson said. "But he's dead."

"But Triplett has all his gadgets," Skye added. "So he went to investigate."

"Call him back, let him know to check the place for Donnie and Thalia."

She nodded. "Coulson, look at these."

May tossed him a paper. Opening it, a schematic for a hacking glove was drawn out. "I've seen this before. When I was still in New York, Ava, a teammate of Anna's, said she saw her using it to hack one of our server computers."

"Why?"

"She didn't know."

"And look," May pointed to the corner of his paper, then to the corner of the one in her hand. "Thalia signed these."

"These are years old."

"Ian could have had her look at them."

"But her name's on each and every one of them," May said. "Remember when we couldn't find the designs for the Gravitonium machine? What if we couldn't find them because there were never any to begin with?"

"Because they were recalled from memory." Coulson examined the paper again. "All of these are Thalia's inventions."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Donnie, you need to rest."

He looked up to see Thalia looking at him. Her expression was full of concern. She was right; sleep pulled at him every chance it could. He probably had an overall look of weariness. But what bugged him was her leg; dark veins were spidering from around the gash. Which wasn't good, no matter how many times she waved it off. Barton hadn't come for two days, so it was probably from the absence of chemicals fighting the infection in her leg.

The door flew open, and Barton came down the stairs. Thalia didn't turn her head as he set down the box and bag. "Blake wouldn't let me come. Said it wasn't my business tending to you guys. He even tried kicking me out of my own safehouse."

Opening the box, he shined the light on her leg. He paled. "No. No, it's too soon."

"What?"

"Because Blake is the selfish bastard he is, she's got sepsis." Barton ran a hand through his spiky hair. "I can't treat sepsis."

"What's sepsis?"

"Blood poisoning," Thalia said quietly. Donnie felt his eyes widen. "It was bound to happen."

"Barton, what the hell did I tell you?" Blake stormed down the stairs. "Someone else takes care of them."

"Hope your little grudge against her was worth it," Barton shamed Blake. "Because since you wouldn't let me clean it, she's got sepsis."

"You wouldn't let us eat because you were  _mad at her_?" Donnie asked incredulously. "She's got blood poisoning because you had a grudge against her?"

"Then she knows what she needs to do." Blake looked indifferent. "Make me my serum, and she'll get her treatment."

"You're bargaining some stupid science project for a treatment that is essential to her health?" Barton asked. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"This serum is one of the most valued things S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever seen," Blake answered coolly. "And we have someone come along that knows the exact replication of it? You can bet we are going to use any means necessary to extract the information."

"By bargaining sepsis treatment?"

"If I remember correctly, you aren't any better."

"I'd at least make sure her blood isn't poisoning her before asking her to do something so complex!"

"Gentlemen, please remove Barton from the premises."

"I'm going anyways," Barton growled. He stomped up the stairs. "Don't think I won't report your ass."

"Oh, you won't."

~*~

"What do you mean you can't find it?"

"I mean, I can't find it. His beacon activates all security at all his safehouses, and right now, there are forty-two places around the world they could be."

"Seven for each habitable continent." Skye bit her lip. "See if you can't get people on our side to search them, then have them report to us on the statuses of each one."

"On it." Triplett hung up.

Tucking her phone into her back pocket, she climbed into the car, next to a big bag of schematics in the backseat. Coulson climbed into the passenger, and May in the driver's seat, speeding back to the Bus.

When they were there, Coulson and May each hefted a bag into the lab. "Simmons, sift through these."

She opened a paper, setting it on the holotable. It scanned, then came up as a holographic design. "This is years old, drawn by Thalia, and yet it has the exact same dimensions and structure as the Berserker staff."

"Get your hacker buddies on the line," Coulson ordered Skye. "See if they can't help narrow down the safehouse search."

She nodded. After shooting off a message, she looked up. "Coulson, why couldn't we just issue the Amber Alert?"

"What's that?"

"I read about it in one of the protocol books," Skye said nervously. "When an LTPR is put in life threatening danger, you activate Amber Alert. All active field agents are reassigned to finding and bringing the LTPR to safety. Any that refuse to accept orders are automatically rendered suspects."

"We have that?"

"Yeah. Protocol was created when Franklin Hall was kidnapped."

"Then activate it. Now."

~*~

Donnie had just placed his head on the table when the shrieking noises began. He immediately jerked upwards, his killer headache and shoulder aches setting back in.

"Damn it, shut them off!"

He heard snippets of conversation upstairs. "Someone's issued the Amber Alert!"

"Can't you shut it down?"

"All active field agents are reassigned to find an endangered LTPR."

Donnie didn't need a sixth sense to realize it was Thalia they were talking about. Switching the light on, she was asleep, the dark veins around the gash were actually gone. It was actually in the process of healing, the skin slowly knitting itself together, leaving streaks of intricate frost along her skin.

Her leg began jerking, and he could see the muscles repairing themselves under the skin. Touching his fingers to her thigh, he could feel the muscles moving and shifting under the skin. His stomach lurched, and he backed away, silently gagging.  _How is she sleeping through that?_

And then it hit him. She probably wasn't asleep; it was maybe the same as his Brain Freeze, inducing painless sleep as the user healed. Had she gotten it from him?

Overhead, he heard loud  _thumps_. Then the door opened, and Barton stepped down the stairs, cracking his knuckles and tucking a stained knife into its holster. "Finally," he grumbled. "I can do something."

"What happened?"

"I guess her dispatch team finally realized she went missing," Barton gruffly replied. "Come on, let's go."

Shaking her awake, Donnie watched as she slowly returned to consciousness. "Thalia, come on."

"Quiet, Donnie, I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled incoherently. Rolling his eyes, he pulled her into a standing position, dragging her up the stairs. Her eyes opened, and her feet were under her, a limp prominent in her leg. When they reached the top of the stairs, he stopped, letting her stand completely. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," Donnie answered. Stepping over a body, he held out his hands to help her over. The limp was gone in her leg, but she still took his hands, making a small jump over. She glared, and when he turned around, Blake was handcuffed to a chair.

"Come on," Thalia said quietly, pulling him to the door. "He isn't worth it."

~G.A.M.E.~

"No one's found her yet," Skye said as Jemma picked up another folded paper, opening it and scanning it. "Miles said he'd get who he could, so him and his three or four buddies are scouring Asia along with all of Asia's field agents."

"I called some of my colleagues," Jemma said hopefully. "They're helping in South America. Jason Mars said he had tested Thalia positive for new child trafficking drugs there. But the problem is, nobody's seen these kinds of drugs. At all. They were introduced back when Donnie was still at the Academy, but Thalia was still Anna then."

"She had just visited the Academy though, left the day before we got there." Skye scrunched her eyebrows. "And she used one of Thalia's formulas to knock Seth out."

"Blake said reports of Thalia's inventions and formulas were found revolving around Anna's visit to the Academy."

"Jason said the victims were similar in appearance. Around five four, tannish skin, black hair, brown eyes, female," Skye clapped a hand over her mouth. "Jemma?"

"What?" Jemma held a paper in her hands.

"What if Blake was distributing our chemical compound drugs to different child involved criminals around the world to find her?"

"That's impossible," Jemma replied. "He couldn't have possibly known it was her then. Unless he had a general idea of what she looked like."

"Didn't Coulson say Donnie's webcam transmitted video?" Skye asked. Typing in a few keys, a video came up. It was dim, but you could make out details. Like Seth beginning to pull Anna's shirt off. She quickly clicked out of it. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has plenty of equipment to brighten and clarify pictures and video feeds. It's possible that it could've been pulled off and viewed by Blake."

~*~

Donnie poked at Thalia's thigh, and she laughed. "I'm fine, Donnie!" Thalia playfully smacked his chest. He groaned. "There's nothing there, I'm perfectly fine."

"She really doesn't mind you touching her, does she?" Barton asked, pressing gauze to his forehead. He watched as Thalia sat on his lap, drinking water from a bottle found in the fridge. He sat in a chair, the large first aid box out in front of him.

"As long as it's not deemed inappropriate, no." Donnie watched Thalia eye Barton's cut. "Thalia, he is a grown man, he can tend to his own injuries."

He groaned as she pushed off of him, taking the gauze from Barton and whipping it to the table. Taking an alcohol prep and antibiotic cream, she wiped the blood away, quickly wiping on cream. Then she folded a gauze pad in half, pressing it down and taping it in place.

Barton looked at her solemnly. "You remind me of her."

"Who?"

"My partner, Tasha. Well, her name's  _Na_ tasha, but she lets me call her Tasha." He eyed Thalia. "You are dirty."

"Yeah, I've been locked in a basement for a while with no access to a shower or change of clothes."

"Her clothes might fit you," Barton muttered. "There's a room upstairs, last door on the right. There should be a bathroom and clothes."

Nodding, Thalia took her bottle of water and padded upstairs. Barton eyed Donnie. "I must be delusional if I think you'd come anywhere close to fitting my clothes. Wait until she's out, then go take a shower."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm starving," Barton said. "I'm going to get food." Standing up, he brought out his wallet and keys. "Lock the door and don't answer it."

Before he could answer, Barton left.

"Rude," Donnie muttered. Roaming the spacious apartment, he checked each area, finding it to be void of personality. He tried avoiding going upstairs at all costs, wanting to wait until Thalia was done showering. But it had been over twenty minutes, and he was impatient.

Quietly going up the stairs, he began methodically searching. Every room was full of still life, with them being bedrooms and all. Coming to a stop, he heard music. Violin and singing and dubstep. Approaching the door, it ended, swirling into what he easily recognized as Lana Del Rey's "Video Games". Thalia had a penchant for rapidly changing tempos in music. Which would describe why most of her playlist would consist of Lana Del Rey, Skrillex (as if he knew what that was), Krewella, Marina and The Diamonds, Natalia Kills, and various other artists.

The question was how was she playing music when they confiscated their phones?

_God knows,_  Donnie thought wryly. He turned away from the door when it opened. "Donnie?"

He turned. "Yes?"

"My hair's tangled, and I can't reach," she said, clearly annoyed with the situation. He knew living with her long enough that she didn't want his help with most things, but unfortunately had to have it because she was either A) too short or B) didn't have the physical capability to do so. So when she handed him the comb, she did so with a look on her face that clearly told him she'd rather be doing this on her own.

Standing in front of the mirror, she held the hem of the towel over her chest, her fingers absently tracing her collarbones. "Didn't even have the decency to give me a damn brush," she grumbled, wincing as he worked through a tough knot in her hair.

"You'd probably beat them unconscious with it," he muttered. 

She snorted. "Yes, Christopher Doll, watch my piss poor attempt at fighting a horde of _criminal agents_ , armed with nothing but a hairbrush.  _I'd_ probably get beaten unconscious with it."

"They were government agents, Thalia."

"Same difference."

He laughed lowly. "Sarcastic as ever."

"I was gutted like a fish! So imagine my frustration."

"Why are you being so moody?"

She laughed in shock. "Good God, the girl that lives off ice and magic is  _going_ to have mood swings. It is never her fault, even when it is her fault. Did nobody ever teach you that?"

"No, I learned useful things."

"Yeah, like how to correctly place a pipe bomb on the underbelly of a car." She scowled. "Or how to make a weather machine. Excellent things to put on my resumé."

"That's rich, coming from you."

"From me?" Thalia spun around. "I'm sorry, I woke up three and a half months ago with nothing but a name and not even a day ago, I woke up with no memory of where I was or why I was having tremendous muscle cramps in my thigh. So pardon me if I'm a little pissed at everything, including you."

Snatching the comb from his hands, she stormed out of the room. He watched her departing silhouette with despair.  _How did all of that just..._

Scrubbing his hands across his face, he raced after her, only to be met with a slammed door. Shaking his head, he turned around and walked back to the bathroom. Pulling his clothes off, he climbed into the shower, turning the water on. Except all lukewarm water (Thalia had tried acclimating his skin to withstand higher temperatures of water and had managed warm) was gone, leaving him with freezing cold water. As each droplet pounded into his skin, he felt  _and_  saw the filth coming off his skin. Reaching for the soap, he took pleasure in the feeling of scrubbing the dirt off his skin, so much that his skin started becoming pink from the effort. Rinsing his skin, it stung slightly. Shutting off the water, he grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist.

All of his clothes were gone.

Sighing heavily, he left the bathroom, seeing a flash of black hair head towards the rooms. He hung in the doorway of an open room, watching Thalia root through various drawers. Approaching her slowly, he tapped her shoulder, and she spun around, cocking and pointing a gun at him.

"Whoa!" He jumped back, watching her train the gun on him. She didn't move, just stared down the barrel of the gun. Which was pointed directly at his chest. "Thalia, put it down. Now."

She blinked, as if she were confused, then looked at the gun, letting out a little yelp and dropping it. He moved out of the way as it clattered to the floor. Picking it up, he looked at it. Then he uncocked it, making sure the safety was on before setting it down. "Hey, look at me."

Her eyes darted to the gun, then back to him. "How did you do that?" he asked gently. "Thalia, how did you do that?"

"I..." she sounded like a broken record, "I-I don't know."

She sat on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. Then, with curious eyes and a shaky voice, she asked, "What if... Anna knew that?"

"Anna worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., I have no doubts she did know." Donnie reached forward to help her stand, and she placed her hand on his hip. Her fingers curled into the towel, and her knuckles brushed his stomach, sending shocks into his skin.

"It was slipping," she said quietly. Standing, she handed him his clothes. "They got washed."

Taking the clothes from her, he glanced at them for a brief second before ducking into a separate room to change. When he came back, Thalia had laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "What are you looking at?"

"Don't you see it?"

He looked at the ceiling, smiled, then looked back down. "See what?"

"It's amazing!" she exclaimed, sitting up and snatching a notebook and pencil from the nightstand. "It's so... interesting."

She began scribbling in the notebook, her gaze flitting up to the ceiling. Donnie crawled onto the bed, peering over her shoulder. A series of lines, circles, and random shapes filled the page. "What is it?"

"Don't you know?" she asked, turning her head to see. The light began flickering, and something of a muffled explosion echoed through the apartment as her vision went black.

~G.A.M.E.~

Skye sighed in relief. "They found them!"

"Where?"

"Still in Brazil, but Barton's got them." Skye pointed to a blinking dot on her computer screen. Coulson squinted at the screen. "A.C., she's safe."

"What about Donnie? Where's he?"

"I can assure you, he's with her."

"Sir?" Jemma's voice came over the intercom. "I have some papers you might want to see."

"Just a moment," Coulson answered. "I'll be back."

Quickly moving down the stairs, he entered the lab, watching Jemma sort papers. Fitz was nowhere in sight. "What do you got?"

"This," Jemma handed him a folded paper. This paper had several holes in the fold lines, making the writing barely legible. "It looks...strange."

"What's it supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Jemma shrugged. "It's too worn to read."

"Why does it look worse for wear than the others, though?"

"It was referred to often?" Jemma brought up a holographic image. "It looks like a combination of a projector and something else."

"Or maybe it's worn because it was being built," Coulson looked like he had a revelation. "But where did it go?"

He took the paper, turning it over in his hands. Opening it carefully he laid it open on the glowing table. Staring at the faded writing, it began to look different. It was now too straight, too angular. Picking up a pencil and a new piece of paper, he began lightly retracing it, the tip of the pencil dancing over the faded paper. The lines came back to life, creating circles connected to lines connected to zigzags.

"No, it can't be..."

"Can't be what, sir?"

"She can see it too."

~*~

_"Hey, kiddo, look at me."_

_Thalia barely opened her eyes when the EMT swore. "Tasha, she's fading." He looked to his partner. "She needs to go, now."_

_"I know," Tasha looked at her. Her short red hair fluttered in the wind, and she placed her gloved fingers against her throat, checking her pulse. Thalia felt her eyes close, and the male EMT began panicking._

_"Goddamn it, stay with me!"_

_"Clint, we have to go, now," Natasha said, her voice strained. "Her lungs aren't functioning properly, they're too damaged to support her. We need to get to base, now."_

_She completely faded out. Then electricity surged through her, and she took an unsteady breath, her eyes opening just a sliver. The EMT looked at her, sighing in relief. He smiled. "Welcome back, kiddo."_

_"We're five minutes out, Clint," Tasha said from behind the wheel._

_"She's running on epinephrine," Clint said. "I gave her enough to stay awake."_

_"I heard from the firefighters she's something special. She somehow managed to stay alive after being stuck in the main blaze. Inhaled copious amounts of smoke, and yet she didn't die."_

_"She couldn't possibly be..?"_

_"No, that's not possible, I checked," Tasha shook her head. "Their genes would overpower her human ones. She would've died."_

_"So then how--"_

_"She could be different." Tasha shrugged. "It's possible. All our genetics experts think so."_

_"Tasha, look out!"_

_Then a jolting pain shot through her body, and the ambulance flipped. Glass shattered, and next thing she felt was something being pulled out of her neck. "Tasha, she's dying!"_

_"Someone's coming," Tasha's strained voice said, and Clint went motionless, just as the back doors were wrenched open. A blonde woman and man in a turtleneck climbed in._

_"Are you sure that's her?"_

_"I'm positive. S.H.I.E.L.D. would do anything to keep this little gem," someone's hand touched her face. "Even had their top agents handle her transport."_

_"And they're both..."_

_"I'm positive they are." She was lifted into someone's arms. "They wouldn't do this, lay their agent's lives on the line, if they didn't have an affinity for divinity."_

_"She's bleeding. A lot."_

_"Come on, let's go." A man looked down at her. "She needs to get stitched up and initiated."_

She woke with a start, clutching the sheet. Donnie sat up, pulling her hair back behind her. "What's wrong?"

"Bad dream," she said unbelievingly. "Really bad dream." She blinked a few times, seeing candles scattered around the room. "What happened?"

Barton opened the door. "You know, I would really appreciate a little quiet. My head is pounding, and I'm not liking your version of white noise. It's quite distracting."

"What do you mean?" She turned to Donnie. "We didn't, did we?"

"No, you didn't," Barton informed her. "He's too chicken."

"No, I'm not!"

"Really?" Barton said incredulously. "Which is why you've been playing this little charade with her for how long now? Living every moment like you don't have another to spare? You are fooling yourself kid, into believing it's never going to happen. News flash, it will, and if you insistently believe that you are never going to see her again, then why the hell not?"

Thalia climbed out of bed, her eyes blazing. "Because it's called having a shred of respect!" she growled. "Because it's called having decency to not jump into bed with the first female that has a pulse."

"Oh, like you're any better."

"Oh, sure, I'm better. I don't know when or if it ever happened, may never figure it out, but it's called waiting."

"If you wait, you miss your shot."

"Don't feed me your archery metaphors, Birdbrain," Thalia spat. Donnie watched as she continued. "I don't know when you lost your self-respect, from the time you crawled out of whatever dark hole S.H.I.E.L.D. fished you out of to the time you and Tasha let Hydra take away a little girl to save your own skins, but don't you even  _think_  about berating either of us on the subject. Because you don't look like you have any."

Barton paled. "How do you know about that?"

"It was me, wasn't it?" Thalia asked quietly.

The trio stood in heavy silence. "Yes, it was."

"Why?" Her voice was heavy, like she was about to cry.

"We were ordered to get you there as fast as we could. Ordered to not engage unless someone was trying to obstruct our path to the base."

"The people that took me, they brainwashed me," she was clearly crying now, her eyes shut. "Made someone else out of the broken remains. And you let them get away."

"We didn't know they weren't S.H.I.E.L.D."

"The hunter in wolf's clothing." Thalia glanced at him with watery eyes. "And you didn't even look for the gun."

"Thalia, I--"

"Please leave!" her voice cracked at the end, and she fell to her knees, her hair falling over her face. Barton shut the door behind him.

Donnie softly bent to her level, rubbing his hand on her arm. She leaned on him, her fingers twining with his. "I see lines and circles and zigzags..."

"Hey, it's okay," Donnie soothed her, pulling her hair back.

"And I think I know what they mean."

~G.A.M.E~

Coulson sat in his bunk, staring at the lines on the paper. Each night, he saw it, the lines becoming circles and the circles becoming lines until it became zigzags. He didn't know what it meant, what it was, until Garrett said he saw it too. And now Thalia. She could see it, and his evidence was in his hands, the scrawled and barely legible writing of a child now the straight lines and circles and zigzags of someone who  _knew_.

_But how could she know? Thalia hadn't died at such a young age. Both Garrett and I saw it when we were injected with the GH-325..._

And Thalia hadn't been injected with any of it. So how did she see it?

_The miracle drug was made from alien material. And Thalia hadn't been in contact with aliens, either._ He blinked.  _But Anna had_.

The incident came back, slowly, but he began to see it.

_Sam jetted around the Helicarrier, knocking papers and things off of shelves. "Coulson! Coulson!"_

_He sat in his office. "Sam?"_

_"Something's wrong with Anna!" Sam said, panicking. "She's really sick, and I don't know what to do!"_

_"First off, remove that helmet. You sound like you're mumbling when you try to talk with it on." Coulson watched as he removed it, his suit shifting away back to school clothes. "Second, what happened?"_

_"Anna, she touched my helmet, it had alien blood on it," Sam stumbled. "She got really sick. I don't know what to do!"_

_"How'd she get sick from touching it?"_

_"She said it shocked her."_

_"Take me to her apartment, now."_

_Next thing he knew, he stood on Anna's doorstep, knocking and waiting for her mother to answer. She opened the door, concern on her face. "Sam, how nice to see you--"_

_"Miss Crawford, we need to see Anna." Sam let Coulson step up. "Now."_

_"She's really sick, I don't know what's come over her," Miss Crawford said, leading them to her room. "She's having really high fevers. Last I checked, almost a hundred and ten."_

_"Miss Crawford, Samuel has explained what happened," Coulson watched as Sam cringed, "and I think she needs to go to one of our hospitals."_

_"A S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital?" Miss Crawford asked in astonishment. "You're sure?"_

_Loud moaning came from the other side of the door. Miss Crawford looked to the floor. "She's been like that for hours. Fevers so high, she's delusional; systems so fragile a pin dropping could make her throw up, and she's sweating so much she's dehydrating herself. I can't get her to eat or drink anything."_

_Sam opened the door. He walked in, crouching at her bedside. Her skin was paper white, her hair plastered to her forehead. "Anna?"_

_The door quivered, then slammed shut. A boy came from the opposite room. "Mom?"_

_"Chase, it's okay," Miss Crawford wrung her hands. "Anna'll be fine."_

_"I was going to ask if you've seen it yet."_

_"Seen what, dear?"_

_Chase exited his room. Coulson could see a computer, a protractor, and various other metal objects began floating. "Look." Chase picked up a knife, tossing it into the air. It remained suspended. Then it drove itself into the wall._

_"Please just make it stop!" Anna screamed, and they barely had time to drop to the floor before explosions rocked over their heads. They were on the floor for what felt like an eternity before the sparks stopped raining._ _Standing up, everything was short circuiting. Sparks still shot off anything fried. Making his way back to Anna's room, the door hung off its hinges. Pushing the door aside, he watched in awe and shock as Anna's body floated off the bed. Shutting the door as well as he could, he nodded, allowing Sam to place his helmet back on his head. Soon, he was floating a few inches off the ground, touching her forehead and throat. He turned to Coulson, his face ashen, and shook his head._

_Anna was dead._

_A large, open gash on her forehead sealed itself shut. The air began to hum, and they watched as her skin began to glow. The air stopped humming, and her body fell to the bed, her black hair sticking to her still and peaceful face._

_"Coulson, I--"_

_"Sam, we need to evacuate this entire floor." Coulson looked stern. "This entire place is--"_

_Anna moaned in discomfort, standing up and immediately passing out. Sam's mouth fell open as he reached to touch her. Picking her up, Coulson noticed the sparks dancing between her fingers. "Sam, take her back to the Helicarrier. Have her placed in Electrical Containment." He noticed Sam's odd expression. "Dillon's cell."_

_"Oh, okay," Sam nodded, maneuvering out the window._

_"Mister Coulson, is everything alright?"_

_He took a deep breath. "Yes ma'am. I'll just need you to evacuate while we fix this."_

He shook his head. That was the start of all their problems. The moment she had touched the helmet and contracted the virus. Every case afterwards started with hers. And because she survived, she knew something. Something they didn't quite understand.

~*~

Thalia yawned, holding onto Donnie's shirt as they curled up under the sheets. The bed was warm where she was. His heartbeat was steady underneath her hand. His arm wrapped around her. "I've found napping to be quite productive."

"We are not napping," Thalia smiled.

"I'm napping," Donnie said matter-of-factly. "It calms me, and lets me be close to you."

"You're close to me all the time."

"I like the way you smell," Donnie buried his nose into her hair. "You smell very sweet and feminine and very, very good." He kissed her hair. "Which is odd because of my profession and the way I have the oddest tang of oil about me."

"You do not smell like oil," Thalia said. Bringing her nose to his shoulder, she took in a deep breath. "You smell like... Ivory body wash, ice, and yes, maybe the slightest tang of motor oil."

"Motor oil?" Donnie smiled. "Why motor oil?"

"It's got a specific smell to it," Thalia said, propping herself up on an elbow. "Similar to gasoline."

"You like the smell of gasoline?"

"And motor oil, apparently."

"You must've been quite the pyro as a child."

"You must've been very cold to people as a child."

"Oh, you're so punny," Donnie stuck his tongue out. "I've always been cold to people."

"Oh, and you're just suddenly going to warm up to me?" she asked, holding her finger over his skin. Little bolts of electricity danced between their skins. "I don't think so."

"You doubt my abilities?" Donnie feigned shock. He laid square on top of her, his nose brushing hers.

"Not all of them."

They laid together, looking at each other. His heart began pounding, and his breath began to ice again. And his tongue felt like cold sandpaper. "Why do you always make me nervous?" he asked huskily.

"Maybe because we're in this situation and you're a teenage boy," Thalia said with a smirk on her face, "and coming from your background, this must still be pretty new to you."

"I guess so," Donnie answered. Pushing off of her, he sat cross legged on the bed. Thalia sat in front of him, her legs crossed. She ran her thumb across her lips nervously, then bit her lip. "Thalia?"

She looked up quickly, her hair bouncing. Her eyes landed on him, and he could tell his pupils had dilated. The air smelled like ozone, and the temperature had dropped several degrees, chilling the sweat on their skins. Her voice was shaky. "Yes?"

Quickly moving forward, he pressed their lips together, his hands on either side of her face. A sharp, sizzling  _crack_  of lightning flashed, and Thalia pushed against his lips, her fingers running through his hair. She laughed against his lips. "You've been using my hair stuff, haven't you?"

"I deny everything," he growled playfully, and Thalia tightened her fingers in his hair. Deepening the kiss, his hands left her face and wrapped around her back, pulling her close to him.

"I know this is a pretty new concept, but I know for a fact that you were never this good a kisser," Thalia pulled back, her thumb brushing over his lips. He kissed the pad of her thumb. "Ever."

"I have a pretty good teacher," he said, and Thalia laughed. "What? What's so funny?"

"That is the most cliché thing I've ever heard you say, Donnie," Thalia placed her hand on his cheek. Gently, she pressed her lips to his, just as the door opened.

"Thalia, Donnie," Skye flushed, and Thalia gave Donnie one last kiss before pulling away.

"Are you her dispatch team supervisor?" Barton asked warily.

"Yes," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Can I have them now?"

"Sure," Barton said dismissively. "Time to go, you two."

~*~

Coulson stood in front of the lab doors, seeing Skye pull up in the van. She climbed out, and the door behind her opened. A pair of slender legs with sneakers attached landed on the floor, and Thalia climbed out, quickly followed by Donnie.

The cargo bay door raised. Approaching her, he wrapped his arms around her. She slowly wrapped her arms around him. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back?" she said cautiously. Donnie stayed near the car. Pulling away from him, Thalia walked over to him, her hands covering Donnie's. They began talking to each other, quiet enough so that they were barely heard.

"I feel guilty."

"It's okay," Thalia assured him. "Come on."

She led him back to the group, but he still wouldn't look at them. "Skye?"

"What do you need?" she leaned on the stairwell.

"How long are we going to be here?"

"We have to wait for Triplett to get back," Skye said, looking at Coulson. "It could be a few days. Two or three at most."

Coulson watched as Thalia squeezed Donnie's hand reassuringly. "Come on, let's get settled in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback and comments!


	15. What We Become

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I love writing this, but the problem is I write ahead (so I can stay on top of things because last fic I wrote with a type of live-writing format ended up badly) and I'm near done with it and I don't want to finish it because I already know how Donnie becomes the Blizzard and truthfully, I don't want to stay up at night going, "What the hell". So in all honesty, I really want to continue writing this for eternity but it must end sometime....
> 
> Good thing this is NOT that time.

Jemma entered the lounge, seeking her lunch when she saw Thalia and Donnie sitting on the couch, laughing. She hung back on the staircase, listening to the story Donnie was telling.

"So I had fallen asleep, and Seth decides it's a grand idea to put fruit juice into my energy drink. I woke up, drank it, and began working on the machine when my chest starts to hurt. I shook it off, continued to work. And that's when I stopped breathing."

"Oh my God," Thalia moved closer, her hand covering her mouth. "What happened?"

"I don't remember, but I remember waking up in the infirmary and the doctor was telling me I had a severe allergic reaction to pineapple consumption. And that's how I found out Seth had tainted my energy drink with pineapple juice."

"Why did you have such a severe reaction? Surely you must've been exposed to pineapples at  _some_  point in your life."

"Actually, I was never exposed to it at all. My mom was allergic. Hives spread across her arms if she was anywhere close to one."

"That's horrible!" Thalia stood up and walked to the kitchen, pulling some things from the fridge. "Want to eat?"

"Sure, what's on the menu?"

She smiled as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Sandwiches. What do you want on yours?"

Jemma watched as Donnie observed Thalia making their sandwiches, occasionally stepping in to help. She smiled. "And there. Done." Thalia cut the sandwich clean in half, handing half to Donnie.

Taking a bite of her sandwich, Thalia set it down on the counter, picked up the hem of her shirt, and fluttered it against her stomach. "Is it always so hot?"

"It's probably you," Donnie answered. Polishing off his sandwich, he reached for Thalia's, a sneaky smile on his face.

"No, that's not yours." She slapped his hand. Picking up her sandwich, she bit into it, finishing it off slowly. "Mine." Cleaning up their mess, they took a seat on the couch. Pulling out Donnie's phone from his pocket, they sat on the couch. "Check this out."

Jemma came up the stairs, looking for her lunch when Donnie laughed. "The hypothesis being if Mentos and beer have the same explosive effect as Mentos and Coke? Obviously not."

"And why not?"

"Because they're two completely different drinks, and beer isn't carbonated."

"Just watch."

Jemma smiled at Donnie's small chemistry quip. She unwrapped her sandwich when Donnie went, "Oh my God!"

She dropped her sandwich, scattering its ingredients. "What was that?"

"This guy just--" Donnie jumped up. "Why would you find that funny?"

"How was I supposed to know the guy would get hit by a truck?"

"That's horrible! You should be ashamed!" Donnie shamed her, but his words had no effect on her as she continued laughing. "I know you're not, but you should be."

"Um, hey Thalia," Skye poked her head out of her bunk. "Can I show you something?"

"Sure," Thalia replied. Giving Donnie his phone back, she sauntered away. He turned, sticking it into his hoodie pocket. Then he crouched to the floor, helping Jemma collect her now ruined sandwich.

"I'm sorry, Agent Simmons," he muttered, tossing the meat and lettuce into the trash can. "It was an accident."

"It's alright," she replied. Taking a gentle hold on his chin, she tilted his head up, so their gazes were level. "It was just an accident."

Letting go of his chin, she watched as he exhaled, his breath steaming. Trashing the rest of the contents of her sandwich, she stood up, pulling out ingredients to make a new one. "So, Donnie," Jemma said, "Thalia seems quite bonded to you."

"It's strange."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Donnie, you don't always have to reply in two or three words." Jemma turned around, a new sandwich in hand.

"It's easier talking to Thalia," Donnie said. "She doesn't judge me."

"I'm not going to judge you," Jemma assured him. The hardness in his features softened. "You can talk to me."

Skye threw open the door to her bunk. "Voila!" she said, and she pulled Thalia out of her bunk, wearing a ripped sides dress. "I found this in her suitcase."

Thalia did a spin, and he saw her ribs, the blue frost streaks peeking from the top and bottoms of the tears. "Miss Skye, I don't feel comfortable wearing this. With a jacket, maybe, but--"

"Oh, come on!" Skye placed her hands on her shoulders, aiming her towards the mirror. "You look beautiful."

Thalia squirmed. "I feel exposed."

"What are those?" Skye pulled the hems of the tears back, exposing the blue streaks along her ribs.

"Please stop!" Thalia pulled away, shutting herself in the bunk to change. She emerged seconds later in her tank top and sweatpants. She gave the dress to Skye and flitted downstairs. Donnie followed her, going down the stairs after her and being met with the empty lab.

"Thalia?"

"In here."

Her voice came from the black SUV. Knocking on the door, she opened it, and he climbed in. The door locked behind him. "You okay?"

"I don't feel comfortable with the team poking at them," Thalia said quietly. "It's embarrassing."

"They don't have the right to touch you if you don't want them to," Donnie told her. "They didn't listen."

She leaned on him. "I'm tired. Of all of this. Can't they just leave us alone?"

"There's a murderous S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on our tails," Donnie replied. "These people are our best chance at staying alive for the present time."

"Well, they can learn to respect my boundaries."

"Now can we get out?"

Thalia sighed heavily, then she nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Opening the door, she climbed out, stretching her legs. Donnie yawned, laying down on the seats. "What's wrong?"

"I'm tired," Donnie yawned. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Are you taking a nap because you're genuinely tired or because you don't to go upstairs and see the team members?"

"A mixture of the two." He pulled a lever under the seat and the backs of the seats came down, creating a large space. "You want to join?"

"As much as I'd like to say yes, I have to say no." Thalia took the car handle in her hand. "Miss Skye found some old things of mine. Pre-accident. She wants to see if I could remember."

She shut the door, leaving Donnie to sink into sleep.  
~*~  
"So, when you first showed up, you had this." Skye lugged a suitcase out from under her bed. "Left it here with all your stuff."

Opening the suitcase, neatly folded clothes sat in the bottom, papers in the top. "I didn't touch any of the stuff. Well, except for the time I totally trashed it when I found the research papers."

"What research papers?"

"Before, you were trying to figure out Erskine's original formula." Skye played with the zipper. "And actually managed to do so."

"Figure out the original formula?" Thalia looked perplexed. "Can I see the papers?"

"Blake has them," Skye said. "One of the men on his team stole them when we were tracking you down in France."

"That's why," Thalia muttered. "He wanted me to recreate it."

"What happened?" Skye asked. "When he caught you guys?"

Images of her bleeding thigh and the blue ice streaks between her ribs surfaced, and she blinked, rubbing her ribs. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Where did the blue streaks come from?" Skye looked at her sides.

"It isn't blue streaks, it's ice."

"Ice?" Skye scrunched her eyebrows together. "Donnie did that?"

"No, it was me."

"But he has the ice powers, not you," Skye said, "unless he somehow gave you ice powers through some kind of transfer, like--"

"Blood transfusion." Thalia held out her arms. The veins under her skin were slightly darker blue.

"Oh, wow." Skye took her hands. "Survived the Chitauri virus and a blood transfusion from a Gifted." She traced her fingers along the veins. "Jemma told me once the virus killed everyone it came into contact with. But you survived it. And she also told me that survival rates for Gifted blood transfusions were low, too. A little trooper."

"Well, I don't feel like a trooper. I just feel strange."

"Can you show me?"

Thalia smiled. "I taught Donnie how to do this," she said. Exiting into the hallway, she took a bottle of water, pouring a small puddle into her hand. Then she flicked her hand out, the water becoming sharp icicles and hitting the wall in front of Jemma. She yelped, and Skye laughed.

"That's amazing!" Skye clapped her hands. "Speaking of, where is he? Donnie?"

"I think he's sleeping in the car," Thalia set down the water. "The van."

"I go there to think. He must use it to nap."

Following her downstairs, Skye hung back as Thalia opened the door, shaking the sleeping teenager inside. "Donnie, get up."

Donnie mumbled and groaned. "No..."

"Donald Vincent Gill, get up!" Thalia barked, punching him in the leg.

"Ow!" he whined, climbing out of the car. He rolled his ankle a few times. "That hurts, you know!"

"Grow up," Thalia stuck her tongue out. Donnie kissed her nose, and Skye gagged.

Pulling away from each other, Skye cocked a hip, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, Thalia tell me she taught you some cool magic tricks."

"The icicle throwing?" Donnie shot a curious look at Thalia. "I thought we said we weren't going to talk about that."

"She was asking about the..." Thalia made slicing motions across her ribs.

"Oh."

"Where did they come from?"

Thalia looked nervously to Donnie then inhaled a shaky breath. "Blake."

"Blake? How did Blake do that?" Skye's eyebrows shot up. "Oh my God, he hurt you? We need to tell Coulson, he can help."

"You tell him, I'm tired." Thalia turned to the van. "I'm going to sleep."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"But sir, the evidence is implausible--"

"She's implausible," Coulson told Jemma. "She isn't supposed to exist."

"I just-- Skye said this happened, but it's--"

Skye opened his door. "Skye, clarify this for me. What did you tell me earlier?"

"Thalia told me where the blue streaks came from, and then she told me she had a blood transfusion from Donnie."

"I'm going to ask her."

Flitting down the steps to the cargo bay, Jemma marched over to the van, opening the door. She stood still, watching the inside. Donnie laid on his back, with Thalia tucked into his side. His arm was wrapped around her back and waist, keeping her from falling off the seat.

"They do that," Skye said, and Jemma jumped. "Sleep like that."

"I am just curious," Jemma replied slowly. "Can they..?"

"Yes, she has some of his blood. Meaning she retains some level of powers from it."

"How much?"

"Maybe a pint or two," Skye shrugged. "She wasn't exactly great with details."

"Maybe because she was already Gifted was the reason why the transfusion went well. It's easier to take it if the genetic makeup is somewhat similar."

"Jemma Simmons, quite possibly the smartest woman on planet Earth, is unsure?"

"Well, Thalia isn't exactly of Earth." Jemma bit her lip. "Or Asgard."

She watched as Donnie hugged her tighter, rubbing his fingers into the skin on her shoulder. Shaking herself, Jemma quickly moved to the lab, where Fitz was muttering to himself and looking at the confiscated papers.

Climbing into the passenger seat, Skye opened her laptop, playing a card game. A while later, she heard soft muttering.

"What time is it?" Thalia mumbled.

"Five thirty-four," Donnie mumbled in response.

"Thank you, Donnie." Thalia mumbled back.

"You're welcome, Thalia." Donnie yawned.

Skye smiled and continued on playing her game. Thalia yawned, and pressed her hand against the back of Skye's seat. She sat up, using her arms as support. "Evening, Donnie."

"Thalia," Donnie growled huskily, his head resting on her thighs. "I feel like I haven't slept this good in forever," he added, his voice clearer but still deep and filled with the huskiness of sleep.

She ran her fingers through his ruffled hair. "Your hair, do you mean for it to look like this?" Thalia asked. "Your hair grows fast."

"I kept it short because I can, Thalia," Donnie laughed. "I didn't have you making me grow it out."

"I'm not making you do anything."

"That is complete bull."

"It is not."

"Get your big head off my thighs," Thalia whined. "I want to get out."

"It's not my fault I have such a brilliant mind."

"So that's what you're calling it?"

"Almost four months of you saying that still doesn't take the sting off," Donnie noted with a slight note of hurt in his voice.

"Oh, quit being a baby. You know I don't mean anything by it."

"Can you two quit with the lovefest?" Skye asked. "I'm playing a game that requires concentration."

"Sorry," Donnie mumbled, opening the door. Sliding out, he stomped up the stairs. Thalia paused for a beat, then followed after him. Ducking into a doorway, she raised her eyebrows, demanding an explanation. "I get fidgety around them, Thalia."

"Why? It's not they're trying to kill you."

"It's not like something I did tried to kill them."

She scowled. "Donnie, that happened  _months_  ago. Right now, I think they're focused on trying to keep Blake from killing us."

His voice dropped to a husky whisper. "You don't know what I've done, Thalia."

"I can try to find out," she replied hopefully. Opening the door, she pulled them into a supply room. Shutting the door, she turned to him, pushing him to a sitting position on top of a large crate. She placed her hands on either side of his head, her thumbs smoothing hair back on his temples. He began to feel shocks against his skin.

"What are you doing?"

"I tried this once, to see if I could remember," Thalia answered, "I had to tweak this, but my method is the electricity in your brain can be coaxed out-- not enough to hurt you-- and I can absorb it and see it as sight and sound and all the other senses. That's why I have my hands on your head; the closer I am to your brain, the quicker and easier it is."

"The word 'safer' wasn't in there."

"During the process, if we get separated, it could potentially kill both participants." She sounded a little sheepish.

"'Potentially kill both participants'?" Donnie looked at her blank expression. "Thalia, if you're doing something  _that_  dangerous and something goes wrong,  _we could both get electrocuted and die_."

"Well I told you, didn't I?"

"You were being vague!"

"Being vague doesn't make your anxiety flare up, Donnie!" She gently pulled on his hair. He groaned quietly, a sign he was clearly annoyed. "Fine. Just be careful, Thalia."

"Why don't you ever call me Tally, like he does?"

"Because I like your name,  _Thalia_."

Smiling softly, she pressed her lips to his forehead. Pulling back, she smoothed down his hair. "Now, close your eyes and relax."  
~*~  
He found himself standing on the front lawn of a smoldering house. It must've been grand, but now it was crumbling to pieces, firefighters busy dousing the last of the flames. People were busy tending to an unconscious man wearing an oxygen mask.

Looking around, he saw neighbors starting to come around. Their neighbor's home had been burned to the ground, sun sinking below the horizon.

"I'm sorry, Ian."

His head picked up, and he looked to the lawn. A firefighter was hunched over the man, his face twisted into pain. Their conversation blurred until he noticed a woman exiting what was left of the front door, carrying a bundle of blankets in her arms. "Chad!"

He came closer as the woman laid the blankets out on the grass. "They found her in one of the upstairs bedrooms," she said, unwrapping the blankets. Thalia's head turned to the side, her cheeks a smokey black.

_Why am I seeing this?_ Donnie looked back to Ian calling her name, and she coughed weakly in response. The woman placed a mask over Thalia's face, and she coughed harder. As Ian fell back under, the woman stood. "We need paramedics over here!"

A red haired EMT ran over. She was clipped and curt with her arrival. "The girl, she's going into respiratory distress. She needs to go to the hospital, now."

"Yes, ma'am," the EMT nodded. She motioned towards the girl, and her partner came out with a gurney. The partner looked up briefly, eyes connecting with the red haired woman's. Then he looked down to Thalia, her eyes closed and her chest barely moving.

"Hey, kiddo, look at me."

_Agent Barton?_

Thalia barely opened her eyes when the EMT swore. "Tasha, she's fading." He looked to his partner. "She needs to go, now."

"I know," Tasha looked at her. Her short red hair fluttered in the wind, and she placed her gloved fingers against her throat, checking her pulse. Thalia's eyes closed, and the male EMT began panicking.

"Goddamn it, stay with me!"

"Clint, we have to go, now," Natasha said, her voice strained. "Her lungs aren't functioning properly, they're too damaged to support her. We need to get to base, now."

She completely faded out. Donnie followed them as they put Thalia into the ambulance, climbing in and watching as Ian was placed in a separate ambulance. Turning on a monitor, the vehicle took off. After attaching electrodes to her chest, it began to flatline. Panicking, Barton stood, reaching through Donnie's stomach to the cabinet behind him. He took out a vial and syringe, filling the syringe with an opalescent fluid. Then he turned to Tasha. "She's flatlining!"

"Shock her once, give her epinephrine," Tasha said calculatingly. "That should get her heart going."

He shocked her once, sending a low level of electricity into her chest. Then he pushed the needle into her skin. The monitor began to beep, and Barton looked at her, sighing in relief. He smiled. "Welcome back, kiddo."

Donnie sighed in relief. For seconds, she had actually been  _dead_. Across the country, in Delaware, he was probably sleeping or writing out further equations for his and Grandpa Vincent's weather machine. But for a few seconds of time, Thalia had died.

He checked Barton's watch. 8:19 p.m. In Delaware, it'd probably be past eleven, so there was a good chance he was still up. Now to find out the date. Scanning any surroundings, he saw a calendar with x's on every day past except one. January eleventh, 2003. Thalia would've barely been eight. Tasha and Barton's conversation had carried on without him. Suddenly, the ambulance was jolted, then flipped, falling upside down into the ditch. He fell into a pile of broken glass and debris. Unscathed, he stood, looking at all of the people in the vehicle. Tasha was struggling to get out of her seat, and Barton stood shakily. Thalia had been thrown into the cabinet, and blood began leaking down the back of her arm, dripping onto the ceiling. Which was now the floor.

Barton lifted her out carefully, sitting down with her small body in his lap. A jagged piece of glass stuck out from the back of her neck. Pulling it out, he gasped in horror as Thalia's blood began pumping freely out, staining his clothes. He wiped his hand across his neck, smearing blood across his skin. "Tasha, she's dying!"

Her head tilted back, then flitted to the window. "Someone's coming."

They both went motionless. Donnie did too, realizing it was foolish of him. Nobody could see him. The van shook, and then the doors were wrenched open. A blonde woman and a man Donnie faintly recognized stepped into the van.

The woman frowned at Thalia. "Are you sure that's her?"

"I'm positive. S.H.I.E.L.D. would do anything to keep this little gem," the man's hand touched her face. "Even had their top agents handle her transport."

"And they're both..."

"I'm positive they are." The man picked her up, shifting her as to not bother his abdomen. "They wouldn't do this, lay their agent's lives on the line, if they didn't have an affinity for divinity."

The woman fisted a hand in Thalia's hair, pulling her head forward, exposing the back of her neck. "She's bleeding. A lot."

Thalia moaned in pain, and the woman dropped her head, the base of her skull hitting the man's arm with a hollow  _thud_. "Come on, let's go." looked down at her. "She needs to get stitched up and initiated."

Donnie could only watch as they stepped out of the van. He followed them, watching helplessly as they brought her to a metal plated security van. Opening the back doors, she was placed onto another gurney, the people in the back speaking to each other. Taking a radio, the man clicked the speak button.

"This is Garrett, we have the LTPR," the man spoke into the radio. "Prepare a crash team, she was injured." Silencing the radio, he turned to the people in the back. "Focus on keeping her alive until we get to base. Got it?"

They nodded. The world suddenly began blackening around the edges, becoming fuzzy. Then he was sucked into blackness.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Skye had opened the door to Coulson's office, holding her phone in hand. "Proof!" she called loudly, causing Jemma to turn.

"Proof of what?"

"I took pictures of those blue streaks," she handed the biochemist her phone. "They are consistent with markings of a knife."

"Blake tortured Thalia?"

"Yes, she told me," Skye said. "But Donnie was the one that elaborated. Between her ribs, on her face, and in her thigh."

"He didn't cut her thigh?"

"No, he stabbed it." Skye mimicked a knife burying itself into her thigh.

The screen lit up. Jason Mars stood on the other end. "Agent Simmons?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to be the one to tell you, but Blake has been apprehended."

"Where?" Coulson sounded desperate.

"One of Agent Barton's safehouses outside Rio. He was found handcuffed to a chair."

"Is that all?"

"We found copious amounts of disinfecting chemicals around the safehouse," Jason sounded concerned. "And in the basement, there was... well, there was a lot of blood."

"Who's?"

"It had been confirmed as Thalia Quinn's, sir." Jason creased his brow. "She actually was admitted to a hospital I was stationed at a few days earlier. Donnie and one of her father's men brought her to the hospital with raging fevers. Blood tests confirm she was drugged with a potent cocktail mix of those new child trafficking drugs."

"Was the source ever found?"

"No sir, it was not. I suspected someone within Miss Quinn's entourage might've done it."

"Donnie wouldn't ever hurt her like that," Jemma said under her breath. "So who could've done it?"

"Marcus," Skye blurted. "He was the guard Quinn had assigned to her protection. His most trusted man."

"It's always the ones closest to you," Coulson muttered. Just then, the lights flickered. The comm went dead. "What was that?"

"Power surge?"

"Where are they at?"

Skye darted out of his office, searching the plane. Every door was open, but neither of the teenagers were anywhere to be found. Until she came across the locked supply closet door. Entering the code, the light flashed red.

"What the hell?" She typed the passcode in carefully again. It flashed red. "Coulson, this one isn't opening!"

"Move," she stepped aside as he placed a circular device on the door. Stepping back, the device beeped once and then exploded. The door swung open, and she walked in, searching the room. She stopped, seeing the two sitting together on a crate.

"Hey guys," she started towards them when things started to come into her vision. Like Thalia standing in front of Donnie, her hands on his head. Then she removed her hands, looking at him in a mix of confusion.

"It's okay," she said reassuringly. She hugged him, and he hugged her tighter, pulling her close to him despite the crate. Crouching between two crates, she watched as he spoke softly to Thalia, his voice rough. His lips teased hers, brushing across them as he spoke. She bit her lip, wondering how to respond when Skye bumped the crate, causing the two to look in her general direction.

She turned stiffly. "Don't bug them, they're sleeping."

"In a supply closet?"

"Well, we ruined them sleeping in the car."

"Leave them be," Coulson said quietly. Everyone cleared out, and Skye smiled softly, shutting the door.

Thalia didn't move until everyone had left. "What do you mean?"

"I could see it," Donnie said solemnly. "There was a fire."

"Well I remember some woman with red hair looking at me, but..."

"Even though you weren't awake, your consciousness could recognize a lot more than you can recall." Donnie shrugged his shoulders. "I was basically dream walking through your head."

He switched places with her, letting her sit. "What did you see?" Her voice was shaky, like her hands. "When you saw inside my head?"

"A house. It had burned down," Donnie answered tentatively. "Your dad was there. You were too. You weren't responding; a woman had said you were in respiratory distress and you couldn't breathe on your own. Then Barton and Tasha were there, disguised as paramedics. They were on their way to the hospital when the ambulance flipped, and you had been stabbed in the back of neck with a piece of glass. Then a man and this blonde woman came in and took you."

Thalia's chin rested against her chest. She looked up, and her eyes looked distant. "So my night terrors... are actually memories."

"Thalia, this may be a good thing," Donnie took her hand, and she stood. "You're actually beginning to remember."

"I guess it is, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste, short kiss. "It's a start."

He tilted his head, and she laughed, stopping him. "Not so fast. They aren't all gone yet."

Donnie pulled back in confusion. She pointed to between the two large crates, and with a snap of her fingers, something dragged itself out. A camera. Then she pointed at it, and a flash of electricity struck the camera. The camera fell to the floor, a piece of charred hardware.

"Well  _that_  killed my mood."

"Come on, let's go take a nap in the car." She grabbed a blanket. "I'm frankly tired of everything, including being tired."

Opening the door, she was greeted with a tall, dark skinned man. "You're Thalia?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Triplett." He held his hand out. When she shook his hand, he barked out a sort of laugh. "Well, when they say Quinn has a daughter, she does bear resemblance."

"They say I look more like my mom."

"The lovely lady Lorelei," Triplett laughed. "An Asgardian, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, I thought it wasn't possible," Triplett furrowed his brows, "but I seem to be standing in the presence of a miracle."

"Well this miracle is taking a nap," Thalia yawned. "So, if you would excuse us."

Moving out of the way, he watched as Thalia clutched the blanket and headed down the hall. Donnie followed close behind her.  _Who is he?_ "Miss Quinn, who is that?"

"That's Donnie," she answered. The two disappeared down the hall. Turning on his heel, he bumped into Jemma.

"Agent Simmons."

"Agent Triplett!" she sounded equal parts shocked and surprised. "How good to see you! When did you get here?"

"Not even ten minutes ago. So, that's the infamous Thalia Quinn?"

"Yes," Jemma sounded flustered. "We've been trying to keep her and Donnie under the radar."

"I've heard. Blake's after her. Looking for her father and him while he's at it." Triplett tucked his hands into his pockets. "Why isn't she with her father?"

"He's been hazardous to her safety. One of his men was poisoning her with those new child trafficking drugs. So she's been placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. care until the Blake threat passes."

"Even when S.H.I.E.L.D. wants her for the special knowledge she possesses?"

"Even that," Jemma laughed awkwardly. "It's been difficult."

"So, Skye's trying to leave me with babysitting duty?"

"It seems so," she looked down to her shoes. "You should find her in the lab."  
~*~  
Donnie stared at the ceiling. He tried shutting out the memories that flew at him, but they were relentless, overwhelming. And just as quick as they were there, they were gone. "Go to sleep."

"Was that you?"

"Of course that was me," Thalia yawned. "Now go to sleep."

As she quickly nodded off, he thought of it snowing; he imagined delicate snowflakes drifting down from the ceiling of the car. Landing in Thalia's hair, he saw a delicate snowflake sitting in her black strands. Then it was gone. "Go to sleep."

He slowly fell asleep to the sight of snow falling on their bodies. His dreams came, but they weren't bad dreams. But rather, good ones.

First thing he saw was snow. It was covering the ground, falling from the sky. Next he saw a gate. A very ornate, Gothic style gate. Pushing it open, he stepped through, and it creaked shut behind him. The fence stretched endlessly on either side. The snow fell slowly around him. And he then saw Thalia walking around in the small enclosed area.

She looked at him. Her stare pierced him, almost like she could see into him. Then she walked around a heavy stone in the ground. For a moment, he thought she was part of the snow, but then he saw the fabric swishing around her feet.

"Are you coming?"

He snapped out of his reverie. Her tone was teasing, but her expression was blank. He walked towards her, going around the other side so they stood on opposite sides. She swept snow off the top of the stone, motioning for him to help. Falling to one knee, he helped sweep snow off the front. Soon, he realized it was a grave, and he was rubbing blood on his hands. Her blood.

"Thalia, what did you do?" he asked, shock showing on his face. Blood dripped onto the headstone, and when he looked up, she held out something to him. A heart.

"Take it."

He began to panic. That was a heart! A beating heart! He couldn't take it. But wait, maybe it was metaphorical; she could be offering him her  _heart_ , as in love and affections. Not a literal thing that pumped blood.

"Are you going to take it or not?" His eyes wandered up to her face. She looked confused. He looked down to his hands, still covered in blood. Maybe he should take it. But at the same time, he didn't want her blood on his hands. It would seem selfish.

But her blood already  _was_  on his hands. It was splattered across the backs of his hands, caked under his fingernails. Same as Seth's.

Looking up, he reached out a hand. Being seconds too late, she collapsed, her eyes fluttering closed. Falling to her side, he took the unevenly beating heart into his hands. But her chest was clean; there was no hole or bloodstain indicating he could put it back in. He could only watch as her heart's beat slowed, until coming to a stop.

The grave had changed. Originally, there was the initials A.C., but now it warped and twisted, its surface changing. It now read Thalia Quinn.

Suddenly, he woke up, his heart racing. Thalia was whimpering in her sleep. He shook her lightly, and she yelped, sitting up. She placed a hand on her chest, sighing when she felt a heartbeat.

"You saw it too?"

She turned to him, her eyes wide, like a scared baby deer. Nodding, she leaned into him, her breathing shaky. Taking the handle of the door, she opened it up, stepping outside to take a breath.

"Miss Thalia?" Triplett peered over the railing above the lab. "We'll be landing soon. Might wanna grab your things from Skye."

She nodded, heading up the stairs to grab her--Anna's-- things. But she couldn't bring herself to take Anna's suitcase and clothes. Skye watched her in bewilderment. "What's wrong?"

She held up a pair of shorts. "I don't think I can wear this."

"Okay, then why don't we go out maybe a week from now? We found some clothes from the house in Brazil. I can track them down and send them to the house."

Thalia lingered for a moment, then muttered a quiet "Okay" before heading back to the lab area to sit with Jemma. She watched the teenager with a mixture of curiosity and concern in her eyes.

"Thalia," Jemma said her name, testing the reaction of the quiet teenager before continuing. "Could you show me what some of these are?" She held one of the papers in her hand, offering it to her.

Standing, Thalia walked around the holocom, taking the edge of the paper and pulling it from Jemma's hand. Opening it, she peered at the design, turning it every which way to determine what the design was. "Can I get a new piece of paper?" she asked hesitantly. After being given a piece of blank white paper, Thalia began retracing the faded design, her pen flitting quickly over the paper. Jemma watched her eyes dart back and forth, and the camera swiveled towards the table.

At some point, Thalia's eyes closed, her pen in hand still flitting over her paper. She squeezed her eyes closed, as if trying to ward off a headache. Then she opened them again, quickly working. Jemma looked at the paper, but all she saw was what looked like abstract linear art. Lines overlapping, random bursts of zigzags; clearly Thalia was drawing something else entirely.

Then she groaned in pain, pressing her fingers against her forehead. Her pen dropped, flicking small drops of ink across the page. "Thalia, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, something's wrong--" Blood began dripping onto the holocom surface, and she touched her fingers to the drops on the table. Then her eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed onto the floor, two of her fingertips stained with blood.

"Coulson!" Jemma called, kneeling to the floor, turning Thalia onto her back. She began taking the young girl's vitals, creasing her brow. How had they dipped so low so quickly? "Coulson!"

The senior agent rushed in, going to one knee as Jemma assessed the unconscious teenager. "What happened?"

"She was redrawing a design and her nose just started bleeding out of nowhere--"

"Should we get Donnie?"

"No!" Jemma shook her head furiously. "He's already stressed enough as it is. We don't need to be getting him up."

"No, I mean maybe he can shed some light on the situation."

"He would've pointed it out," Jemma said quickly. "Get her on the table, now."

Lifting the lightweight girl, he helped Jemma lay her out flat, watching as she quickly began attaching different monitors to her. Next to Skye being placed inside the hyperbaric chamber in Italy, he had never seen her work so fast. Triplett entered the lab, his brow furrowing. "What happened?"

"We don't know," Jemma panicked, reading the monitors. "She just passed out on the floor with blood running from her nose and... oh no..."

"What?" Both male agents spoke at the same time.

"She..." Jemma looked up, her face pale. "Something in her brain misfired and she went into another coma."

"How could her brain not be working properly?" Triplett asked. "I thought Asgardians were invulnerable to conventional methods of injury."

"She's only half," Coulson replied tersely. "Therefore she is still vulnerable to some conventional methods, like severe head injuries."

"How could she sustain those?"

"Severe blunt force trauma," Coulson mused. "Simmons, is it possible any hits to the head she might have sustained after the accident finally caught up with her?"

"A small remote chance. But were you paying attention to the feed? She kept looking like she was trying to fight off a headache."

"Headache from what? A suppressed memory? Maybe what she was doing brought that memory back up."

"What is that?" Triplett pointed to the paper under her.

"That's what she was working on." Jemma fell quiet. "She was working on that design before she went under."

Pulling the paper out from under her, Triplett handed it to Coulson. He stared, clutching the paper in his now clammy hands. She was drawing this over and over, with no explanation as to why but every one as to what it meant. And quite possibly on the verge of telling him before going into a coma.

But the real question was this: why would she start faltering before telling anyone?

While his vision clouded, he went into another mental rewind.

_Entering the living area, he passed Sam talking to Anna, sketching into a notebook before her. "I've seen you drawing that same thing almost all the time, then after going to see that agent--was Garrett his name?-- this is the first time I've seen you draw it."_

_"What's today?"_

_Sam checked the calendar. "Eh, maybe the fourteenth of July?"_

_"Hm," Anna reached forward, pecking the teenage boy on the lips, soon returning to her work. "It's almost finished."_

_"What is it?"_

_"It's alien, I can tell you that much," Anna said. "Maybe Chitauri, possibly Kr--" she dropped her pencil, pushing against her forehead with her fingers._

_"Anna?" Sam sat up, rounding the table to her side. "What's wrong?"_

_"I think I'm getting a headache," Anna replied through clenched teeth. "Can you get me an ice pack please?"_

_He stood, and blood began dripping onto the table, the sound of each drop hitting the table suddenly loud and defined. Sam ran to the fridge grabbing an ice pack, and she leaned heavily on Coulson, her eyes screwed shut._

_"Why can't I tell them..?" she asked the empty air before going limp in his arms._

"Garrett told her she isn't allowed to tell us," Coulson said suddenly. Their eyes drew upwards to his face. "He knew."

"How could he create an effect like this to ensure she doesn't tell?" Jemma's features were twisted with perplexity.

"Maybe it's not a specific trigger in her specific brain function," Triplett suggested. "Maybe it's a reminder of what would happen if she told anyone."

"So in order to do so, he would associate pain as a negative reaction if she questioned him." Coulson folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. "He must have hit her repeatedly to get the effect."

"Garrett hitting girls? I never thought the man could stoop so low," Triplett thought out loud.

"What's wrong with Thalia?"

Everyone turned to see Donnie standing in the doorway. Jemma frowned. "She went into a coma."

"What?" he yawned, slipping between people. He blinked sleepily, staring down at her.

"She was drawing something when her nose started bleeding and she collapsed."

Pulling up a chair, Donnie sat down next to the table. His fingers tapped on his knee, then reached out and gently touched her jaw, his thumb dragging along her cheek as his fingers grazed the skin under her jaw. Suddenly the lights flickered, and her fingers moved. "She's still here," Donnie said sleepily. "Just not  _here_."

"She's asleep?"

"Hard to tell." Donnie stood up, rubbing his eyes. "She's drifting."

"Well, we're where we need to be," Triplett looked at the lowering ramp. "Now we just need to go get settled in."  
~G.AM.E.~  
 _Drifting awake, Thalia took in her surroundings. There was a large window above her, shining sunlight to the foot of the bed. White sheets surrounded her, the pillow was cool beneath her cheek. But the fingers running down her spine made her turn._

_Donnie was behind her--or beside her, based on the view-- running his fingers down the length of her spine. From the top of her back to the tops of her hips, his fingers trailed along slowly, then quickly, then slowly, exploring the bumps and feeling the vertebrae in her spine. Little tugs of fabric bounced back up as he dragged his finger down her back._

_"Hey," he said softly, his voice husky from sleep. She took in a deep breath, then leaned in close to him, his arm wrapping around her and bringing her close. With her in front of him, she felt his fingers drawing idle patterns on her skin, giving her goosebumps._

_"Hi," she replied, feeling the palm of his hand against her arm. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, his fingers sliding across the sensitive skin of her upper arm._

_They didn't talk for a while, but eventually Donnie broke the silence. "You were asleep for a while."_

_She turned over to face him. "I was?"_

_"Yeah," He brushed the stray hairs off her forehead, only to have them fall back down. "Few days."_

_She sat up quickly, startling him. "A few_ days _?"_

_"Everyone thought you were in a coma," he replied simply, unease heavy in his voice._

_"It was the thing I was drawing!" she ran her fingers through her hair. "Someone said I couldn't show people what it was."_

_"Thalia, relax."_

_"How can I relax when everyone thinks I'm in a coma?"_

_"Then wake up."_

_"What?"_

_"Wake up."_

Slowly opening her eyes, she was greeted with darkness.Sitting up, she was held back by a tube resting under her nose. Hooking her fingers under the tube, she pulled it away, gagging. After forcing down whatever she ate any amount of time earlier, she stood.

Looking around, her eyesight struggled to adjust. She bumped into a low table around her knees. A bed creaked in the distance. Spinning around, she tripped and fell on her butt, landing on the edge of the table. A tall silhouette flicked on the hall light.

"Glad to see you're awake," Triplett said, a yawn quickly following after. Soundlessly approaching her, he turned on the light. Then he helped unwind her feet from the tubing, stepping into the kitchen. Following the man to the other room, he pointed to a chair and she followed obediently, sitting down.

"What time is it?"

"Two twenty-nine," Triplett said, making a plate of food. Thalia let her hand fall to her stomach, which growled ferociously. "Hungry?"

"Need you even ask?" Thalia joked, and he placed a sandwich in front of her. She took a small bite of the sandwich, paying attention to the weary look in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"It's past two thirty in the morning, and I wake up to you gagging on the oxygen tube." Triplett chuckled. "Do you know how hard that is to do?"

"Shut up," she frowned, the corner of her mouth turning up into a smile. As she took another bite, Triplett leaned back in his chair, slowly falling asleep. After eating half the sandwich, she nudged him with her foot. He jerked awake, rubbing a hand across his face.

"I'll wrap that," he said. "You go back to sleep."

"I can do that--"

"No, I got it." He stood, wrapping the sandwich in plastic wrap and setting it on the shelf in the fridge. "Go back to sleep, Miss Thalia."

"You can call me Thalia."

"You can call me Agent Triplett," he smiled, heading back down the hall. "Goodnight... Thalia."

Shutting off the kitchen light, she laid back down on the couch, shutting off the light. Staring at the ceiling, she tried to focus on something, anything to stay awake. But she blinked, and suddenly, sunlight filtered between the blinds. She sat straight up, feeling tired and in desperate need of a shower.

Shoving blankets off, she headed to the bathroom. Thanks to the generous someone that left the door open, she didn't have to go barging in on random people sleeping. Grabbing the last towel, she shut the toilet (honestly, men didn't have the decency to at least shut it?) and placed the dark blue towel on top.

Yawning, she stretched her arms over her head. Then as a quick check, she pulled the shoulder of her shirt down. A blue strap peeked out and she sighed, touching her toes. Then she slowly pulled her shirt off, having to stop and peel the fabric away from her skin. Finally pulling the shirt off, she stretched again, rubbing her scalp with her fingers.

"If you're doing something, I could leave."

She spun around slowly, her body relaxing and tensing at the sight of Donnie. "What the hell are you doing in here? Get out!"

"I was in here before you!" Donnie waved a toothbrush in the air. He tossed one to her, and she slammed the packaged purple toothbrush on the counter closest to her.

"Fine," Thalia pouted. "I'll just be in here." She shut herself in the shower.

"I can play that game too, Thalia!" The sink ran, then shut off, and he continued to brush his teeth.

Huffing, she stood in the shower, crossing her arms over her scars. "I'm leaving now, Thalia!" he called dramatically, shutting the door behind him.

She smiled. "Good riddance," she whispered, bumping against the handles for the shower. Turning around, she fidgeted with the one she hit, and she was suddenly blasted with ice cold water.

It had soaked her in about three seconds before she pulled the door open, stumbling out and shivering. "Cold, cold cold cold," her teeth chattered, and she slid down the shower door, rubbing her chest. Donnie opened the door, his eyes widening.

"What happened?"

"Cold," she shivered, and he picked up her towel, crouching in front of her. He held it out for her, and she took it from him, wrapping it around herself.

"We get blasted by the shower, didn't we?" Donnie asked. She nodded, and he laughed. He rubbed her shoulders through the towel. "It's cold."

Standing up, she loosened the towel from around her shoulders, showing the front of her chest down to the cup strap on her bra. "N-no kidding."

She stood with her back to the shower door, her hands clasped in front of her chest, which held the towel around her shoulders. For a moment, she considered locking the door. Considered letting the towel tied around her shoulders fall to the floor, and she'd be pressed against him. The feel of his lips against hers, one hand in her hair and the other around her waist. She could already feel her heart soaring...

"Hey, earth to Thalia," Donnie snapped his fingers in front of her face. She shook her head, scattering drops of water. Blinking to focus, her eyes trained solely of his when the door opened.

"We need to have a talk," Triplett said suddenly, and they both jumped. Donnie turned and saw him, then pressed a kiss to her nose, exiting the bathroom.  
~*~  
"Do you not know boundaries?"

Donnie looked almost level with Triplett. "She had accidentally turned on the shower and got blasted with cold water. What else was I supposed to do?"

"You two are just like FitzSimmons," Triplett covered his face with his hand. "Unaware of any physical boundaries that are there."

"She needs stuff," Donnie pointed out. "We might be here awhile, and all she's got is a toothbrush."

"What else could she need? You guys have been bounced from place to place; how could she require anything more than a toothbrush?" Triplett crossed his arms. "I'm not trying to be mean, I'm actually curious."

"Her dad managed to have her stuff moved from place to place." Donnie shrugged. "Mister Quinn spared no expense for her."

"You sound like you harbor resentment towards him."

"I do, to him, but Thalia managed to have him move my stuff from place to place, too. How could I be mad at her?"

"Maybe because he treats her better?"

"She's his  _daughter._ " Donnie gave him a blank stare. "I'd be concerned if he didn't."

"Well, I got stuff to do today, we can run her errands while we run mine." Triplett tucked his wallet into his pants pocket. "So, shall we?"

"Do you think it's a good idea leaving her here on her own?"

"She doesn't always need someone holding her hand. Are you going or are you staying?"  
~*~  
After cleaning up, Thalia took her sandwich and a can of Pepsi out to the front porch, where she sat with her back to the afternoon sun. As her back was warmed through one of the shirts she "borrowed" from Agent Triplett, she chewed her food slowly. Propping her legs on the outside wall, she took the book she found in the living room.

"' _No,' she cried, 'no, no, I'm not a harem, I'm not a woman, I'm not a person, no.' But her arms wheeled of their own accord, like windmill sails, like those magicked antlers, not to kill him, but to pin him with love, to mount him against the wall._ '" Thalia read aloud, understanding the complexity of Elphaba's situation. To feel she is unworthy of love, and yet she takes it when offered like she was starved of it. Almost like someone she knew...

"That looks like an interesting book."

She looked up. A boy, maybe her age, stood on the sidewalk, watching her read. He looked familiar, but she couldn't recall from where. He had tanned skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. He held a husky on its leash. "So I've heard," she replied, tucking her pop tab in the book where she was reading. "It's quite thought provoking."

"I didn't think anyone lived here," the boy said. "My stepmom said the guy who owns the house is barely around. She thought it was a vacation home."

"He works for the government, I think." Thalia shrugged. "He's usually out and about in the morning. Well, from what I could observe."

"You live here?"

"Indefinitely." Thalia stood, eyeing the dog's panting frame. "Your dog looks hot."

"Yeah, the California heat doesn't mix well with Siberian huskies," the boy admitted.

"Come up on the porch," she called, and he walked up the driveway, taking a seat at the table. She brought out a bowl of water for the dog, who lapped at the cold liquid with eagerness. "So, do many people live around here?"

"Not many my age." The boy shrugged. "I'm Ryan."

"Thalia."

"That's a pretty name." Ryan shook her hand. She bent down in her seat to pet the dog, and he could see her collarbones, so elegantly placed and prominent. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. Then she sat back up, pushing her inky hair out of her face.

She noticed his breathless mannerisms. "Cat got your tongue?" she teased, and he took in a deep breath, shaking his head. "So besides my name, what else are you so  _fascinated_  by?"

When she emphasized the word fascinated, his eyes quickly took her in. Her hair, which fell to maybe her third rib, the inky waterfall it was; her captivating eyes, their rich, deep brown color with flecks of blue; her mouth... it was pretty, he could give it that.

"Uh..." his eyes drifted to the book she was reading, a novel he recognized, "...your interesting taste in tales? I've heard of the book."

" _Wicked_ by Gregory Maguire," Thalia nodded. "Exploring what it means to be evil."

He paused to form a solid, logical sentence when a car pulled into the driveway. Turning her head, she peered over her shoulder, and his eyes traced along her cheekbones.

"Thalia, who's that?" a teenage boy called from the car.

"This is Ryan," she responded, and he blinked. "I was offering his dog refuge from the midday sun."

"How charitable," the boy quipped, keeping an eye on him. He noticed the teenage boy's eyes were the same color as the flecks of blue in Thalia's. Were they related, perhaps? She stood, spinning around and opening the door for the boy to pass through. He placed grocery bags inside, then came back out, wrapping his arms around her. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Can I not read outside, Donnie?"

"No."

"You're no fun," Thalia teased, and Donnie kissed her temple, holding his lips to her skin before pulling away. "Thank you for keeping me company, Ryan."

She bent down, taking the bowl from the porch. Ryan stood, his grip on his dog's leash steady, and stepped off the porch, back onto the sidewalk. He nodded and began walking, heading home.

Shutting the door behind her, she opened a bag, peering inside. Beaming, she wrapped her arms around Donnie's chest, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you," she said next to his ear, kissing him lightly on the lips.

Triplett passed by the back door, with pool cleaning equipment in hand. Donnie captured her attention again, and he had a smile on his face. "Want to go swimming?"

"Nice try, fishboy," Thalia stepped away, "but I don't have my swimsuit with me."

"Did you just call me fishboy?"

"So?"

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he dragged her down the hall. She screamed playfully, her heels dragging on the carpet. Sitting on the bed, she laughed breathlessly as he kissed her neck, usually where gills would be. "I'm not a fish," he murmured.

"I know, I was teasing you," she clasped her hand with his. A shock passed between them, and the temperature of the room faltered. Then she felt something tickle her nose, and when she opened her eyes, a snowflake sat perched on the tip of her nose.

She tapped his leg. "Look!"

Opening his eyes, a snowfall began around them. It softly swirled and twirled, melting before touching the ground. Thalia gasped in awe, catching a snow flake in the palm of her hand. "Did we do this?"

"I think you did it, Thalia." Donnie balanced a snowflake on his fingertip. "I can't do this."

"Maybe I can make it go away." Thalia closed her eyes, concentrating on some command to make their mini flurry disappear. The clouds above them dissipated, and she smiled. "Excellent."

"So, adding to your extensive list of gifts, gravitational and electromagnetic manipulation, you can form ice from outside sources, and you have limited weather control. You might have more power than I do."

"Maybe, but you can make ice and snow and other fun things that are ice related. You can even heal people."

"People means plural, and I've only healed you, Thalia."

"You still have a healing factor, Donnie."

"So do you."

"Oh! Those streaks are gone!" She pulled up the edge of the shirt she wore to expose her ribs. "They melt off in hot water."

Rubbing his hands along her ribs, she pushed his hands down, then fixed the shirt. Many minutes passed, with his arms wrapped around her waist. She sighed, standing up. "Come on."

"Where?"

"Swimming."

"You're serious?"

"Yes. Come on," she tugged on his hand until he stood, and they walked to the back door, stepping out onto the shady patio. Slipping out of her sweats, she sat at the edge of the pool, swirling her toes in the pool water. He sat next to her. "That isn't swimming, Thalia."

"The water's cold."

"Can you not withstand cold?"

"I can, but I'm worried it'll take forever to warm up again."

"If that does happen, I will cover you in blankets and we'll watch movies. Now come on."

"No."

"Fine." Donnie pouted, something she'd almost never seen him do before. "We'll just sit here and kick the water."

A sinking feeling, like she'd done something wrong and was now feeling the guilt, weighed on her chest. "Donnie, that's not fair."

"What isn't?" he asked, the slightest hint of bitterness and amusement in his voice.

"You're making me feel bad when you're acting like a kicked puppy." Thalia stared at the bottom of the pool. "I can't swim anyways."

"Wait a minute." Donnie studied her with his blue eyes. "You can't swim?"

"No I cannot, and after I was nearly drowned in a pool, I don't want to take that chance again." She suddenly found something interesting on the hem of the shirt.

"Oh," Donnie replied quietly, clasping his hands together. "Well then, let's go back inside."

Helping her stand, Donnie turned on his heel, heading back to the door. Thalia frowned. "You left your shirt."

"Crap." Turning around, he walked back to the edge of the pool, picking up his shirt, half submerged in the pool, when he felt someone push him in from behind. Sinking into the water, he quickly resurfaced to see Thalia laughing. "Did you do that?"

"Maybe," she giggled, running inside and locking the door. Sighing loudly, he pulled himself out of the pool, stripping out of his soaked clothes. A blush spread over her cheeks as he stripped down to his boxers. He looked up at her flustered face.

"Can I get a towel?"

Her mouth hung open like a trout before she shut it. "Um, yeah, give me a minute."

"Why the face, Thalia?" Donnie crossed his arms over his bare chest. She swallowed nervously. "Is someone embarrassed?"

"No!" she replied quickly. He smiled, and she had to suddenly resist the urge to run outside and wrap her arms around his neck. She locked her hands behind her back.

"You're a horrible liar." Donnie's voice sounded distorted through the glass. His dark hair was even darker--almost black-- against his pale skin. Her hands began fidgeting behind her back, making her put on a nervous grin.

"I'm gonna go get a towel." Thalia tore herself away from the door, rushing to the linen closet for a towel. She gripped the neatly folded fabric between her fists, taking a deep breath. Then she headed back outside, handing it to him. He dried his hair, then worked on drying the rest of him.

"What's so interesting about me drying myself?" She blinked at his question. Meeting his playful gaze, she seemed to have a hard time forming a sentence. Donnie witnessed her entire struggle and smiled. "My, my, Thalia, am I distracting you?"

She made a small noise in her throat, one that sounded like a squeak. "I have things to do that don't revolve around you!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, sharply turning on her heel and heading inside.  
~G.A.M.E.~

Ian picked up his phone, considering his options. Sitting in his office in Brazil, he held the phone slightly above the receiver, wanting to dial the seven numbers. Her numbers. Thalia's phone number. But instead, the phone rested back in its cradle. And he stood, stepping up the stairs to the pass locked room. Thalia's old room. Entering the numbers, the door creaked open to chaos.

Her stuffed animals were strewn about the room, stuffing and empty animal carcasses littering the floor. He gazed around in panic, seeing her room scattered and trashed. Sifting through the remains, he carefully looked at the floor, scanning for any sign.

All her inventions were gone. Every last one.

_But maybe not all of them..._

He began searching the drawers, looking for the book. As long as she'd been gone, he could always recall the book. Nondescript, medium thickness. But her version of nondescript was heavy textbooks, generously donated to all the schools he thought she'd wind up going to. And then she disappeared.

No, not disappeared. Abducted. Abducted by Blake and his team not even a week ago.

Noticing a book on the edge that leaned against the wall, he pondered why.  _Of course, her book_. It fit between her Introduction to Genetics and Advanced Chemistry books. But what was it called? Something about biology..?

The book sat on the dresser, untouched. Sighing in relief, he opened the book, carefully flipping through the pages to the end of the book. In the back, the library card envelope held a final, newer piece of paper, one Thalia had taken very good care of. It looked brand new.

He just hoped it would work.

~*~

Slipping into their room after a shower, Donnie silently laughed at Thalia's sleeping form, which was spread out on the bed. Breath hissed from between his lips and she cracked an eye open, rolling onto her back and staring at him. "Something funny?" she snapped crankily.

"No," he kept his answer light as he roughed up his hair with a towel. "You're just spread out everywhere. Like you own the bed."

"I keep it warm, don't I?" Her tone was more questioning than bitter.

"Yes you do, and for that, I thank you." He tossed his towel over a chair and slipped under the warm sheets. Thalia suddenly sat up, turning on her side and throwing sheets over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I'm mad at you."

"Why, because  _you_  got all hot and bothered?"

"I'm already hot," Thalia said, "it's just you bothered me."

"Because  _you_  pushed me into the pool and you couldn't control yourself."

"Shut up."

"You forget I've seen you half naked before."

"It's different!"

"How much?"

"Huge amounts."

"Care to be specific?"

"Looking at you made my heart start recommending to do stupid things."

He brought his mouth next to her ear. "And you don't think I don't experience the same thing, except ten times worse?"

She breathed in shakily. "I do."

"Then why are you getting so worked up over nothing?"

She turned onto her stomach. "It hasn't occurred to me how much 'nothing' was until now." Her words were muffled, and his teeth grazed her earlobe. She bit her lip hard, trying to keep the gasp behind her lips from escaping. His teeth grazing her earlobe might have been an accident; but the icy tingles shivering down her spine were not.

Relaxing into the bed, she feigned sleeping, hoping he'd move away. Her sanity and self control depended on it. As if he heard her desperate mental pleas, Donnie moved away, falling asleep some time later. She moved, bit by bit, until she was next to him, moving his arm above his head. Laying her head on his shoulder, she watched him sleep, his chest rising and falling and the solid, steady, slow heartbeat under her fingertips.

Snuggling into his side, she tucked the blankets around her, falling into an uneasy sleep. Next she felt his finger running down her nose. He watched her as she slowly woke up, stretching out and pushing against his chest. Her pushing against him made him gasp for air, and she sat up, yawning. "What's wrong?"

"You kickbox in your sleep!" Donnie rubbed his chest, and she frowned, leaning on his sitting form.

"Sorry," she mumbled, the tip of her nose brushing his neck when she placed her head on his shoulder. Triplett entered the room, the look of annoyance on his face meaning he was trying to cope with the teenagers and their rather... odd habits.

"Miss Thalia, you have a visitor--" he focused on her and realized she had fallen asleep on Donnie, who had laid back down and also gone back to sleep. "I'll tell him you aren't available, then."

Padding back down the hallway, he opened the front door. "Sorry, Ryan, she is unavailable at the present time."

"It's okay, Mister Triplett," Ryan nodded. "Can I just leave this here then or..?"

"Sure, I'll take it," Triplett extended his hand and a book was placed in his outstretched hand.  _Son of A Witch_  byGregory Maguire. Hadn't Thalia been reading the first book? "You want me to tell her who sent it?"

"Ryan."

"Well, Mister Ryan, I'm sure she'll like it." Triplett glanced at the cover. "She's been reading my copy of the first book, so it'll keep her out of trouble."

"We had a talk about it. She said it was about exploring what it meant to be evil."

"She's a bit of a hard thinker."

"Not hard on the eyes, though."

Triplett's lips pulled into a smile. "Not only focusing on her train of thought, are we?"

Ryan looked up quickly. "She's... "

"Pretty?" Triplett suggested. Ryan looked side to side then nodded discreetly. "Well, she's taken. And I don't believe he's into sharing."

Ryan looked defeated. "Well, have her return that when she's done. It's a library book."

"I'll let her know."

Shutting the door, Triplett placed the book on the coffee table. A door opened, and Thalia came from the hallway, rubbing her eyes. "Who was that?"

Triplett held up the book, a small smile playing at his lips. "A boy named Ryan?"

"Oh yeah," she said sleepily, taking the book. "He's the boy that was with me on the porch."

"Well, he brought you a book. He said it's a library book, so bring it back when you finish."

"Okay." She set the book down, stretching her arms and legs. Someone knocked at the door, and she answered it.

"Um, hey I just wanted to let you know," Ryan paused, catching a fleeting glimpse of Thalia. She looked like she had just woken up, her eyes tired and her hair messy. "That book's also due next Friday, which is my friend's birthday. He's having it at my house, so maybe you and Donnie might want to come?"

She took in a deep breath. "I'll think about it, Ryan." Her eyes met his. "But thank you for the offer."

She shut the door, sliding down the back. "Ugh, I'm so tired," she announced loudly, seeing the horizon lit up in bright colors. "What time is it?"

"Around eight," Triplett answered, making another sandwich in the kitchen. "You hungry?"

"Don't you ever get tired of making sandwiches?" Thalia asked, tilting her head.

"I'm a simple guy. I could  _run_  on sandwiches."

"Well, you need something besides white bread and processed cheese running through your system. That isn't healthy."

Triplett lifted his shirt, exposing a toned stomach. "I think I'm fine."

She smiled slyly, standing. "We're not having sandwiches."

Donnie entered the kitchen, his band shirt wrinkled. "But sandwiches sounds so good."

"We are having something different!" Thalia slapped a hand onto the counter.

"But I want a sandwich."

"But it's so romantic and sweet when you cook," she leaned her head on Donnie's shoulder.

"Well, I'm not dating him, so I don't necessarily have the same opinion on that topic..." Triplett trailed off.

She looked up at Donnie, her eyes meeting his. "Please?"

For a moment, he looked almost catatonic, then relaxed, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. "Fine."

A part of her frowned.  _He wouldn't normally cave like that,_  the concerned part of her said. But another part was all jittery and excited, being excited it was allowed to have an outlet for its powers.

_Wait, did I just use my powers on him..?_

"Stop." Her sudden command turned his head. She put on a weak smile. "Let's have sandwiches instead. I don't want to wait forever to eat."

"Okay, sure." He moved to the fridge, and his movements were almost robotic.  _Was he still under my influence?_

Prodding deep in her brain, she felt it. A small connection to his brain, surging and bright and crackling with power. Like pulling a cord, she severed it, and suddenly Donnie dropped the mustard bottle, shaking his head. She backed against the counter.  _What have I done?_

"I'm going to go for a run real quick," she said distantly, slipping her shoes on.

"Thalia, we don't know the area--"

"He's right, Thalia." Triplett's hand landed on her shoulder. "What if you get lost?"

"Please let me go."

"I'm sorry Thalia, but I have orders--"

She turned swiftly, twisting his wrist and pushing him back. When he was a good ten feet back, she ducked out the door. The wind rushed around her, blowing her hair in front of her face. It felt good to run; her breathing was a little roughened, but otherwise, it was amazing. Moving so quickly that the scenery blurred around her, street signs passed by in green hazes.

Her feet carried her so far that when she stopped, she stood in the middle of the crosswalk, her hands on her knees. Then she was running again, stopping again at a small park. She twirled, kicking her leg out for balance. The streetlights dimmed, and she moved around the park, spinning and dancing to her heart's content. It was like paramnesia; she swore she knew this. But that was impossible. It could just be absorbing someone else's energy, a dancer's probably. If one lived anywhere close to where she was.

She threw her hand into the air, and light exploded from her, streaking up to the sky. Dark clouds formed, absorbing the bolt of lightning into itself. Then it began to snow around her, a light flurry which slowly grew heavier. It became a thick curtain, and a savage wind from nowhere began swirling the snow around her.

The whipping powder stuck to her skin. She stuck her arms out, her face parallel to the sky. Hair flew around her face, and she for a brief moment, indulged in the wonder of how releasing this was.

And then it stopped.

Looking down, her clothes had been replaced; instead of the S.H.I.E.L.D. issued sweatpants and tank top, she wore a thin dress, much like Isabelle's from The Mortal Instruments. As a matter of fact, it was  _exactly_  like hers, save for the fact this was skin-hugging and lighter fabric. Or was it fabric at all?

After closer inspection, it was revealed to be snow. That explained the snow sticking to her skin.

"Thalia?"

She turned and Donnie stood behind her, his eyes studying her. The dress, her hair, even her stare were all too familiar.  _Of course, the dream._  She'd been wearing the exact same thing in the dream. Down to the last...

No, she hadn't been wearing her pendant. But it didn't even look like the flower pendant anymore. The metal had twisted and taken a new shape.

Because it was now a snowflake.

He stepped forward, unsure of what to say or do. Then he looked down and realized he actually hadn't moved at all, but she had come closer to him, her hair glittering with stray pieces of ice and snow. "What happened?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Thalia replied. "You're the supposed expert on this!"

"I can't do that!" Donnie made a waving gesture with his arms towards her. "Everything I know is partially based off what you know!"

"Well then," Thalia pursed her lips, then closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sky. "If it's as crazy as it sounds, I just summoned a storm that transformed me into a freaking ice queen."

"Now the pet name Khione is definitely fitting," Donnie admitted with a shy half smile. "The ice won't melt off this one, ladies and gentlemen."

Thalia laughed softly, which caused the suit to melt away. Color immediately flooded her skin, and for a moment, it hit him: Thalia's warm skin disappeared when she was in this "form". The snow wouldn't stick to her skin otherwise.

It didn't occur at first how unnaturally beautiful she was. In her warm, original form, she was beautiful, obviously the kind of beautiful normal girls didn't possess. She was, in other words, a demigod, so she had an advantage. But it rivaled this cold, snowy form. Her skin was paler, her hair darker, the soft planes of her face now coldly sharp and angular. So much, the thought surfaced that he could potentially cut himself on her cheekbones. It made her look beautiful and dangerous.  _Very_  dangerous. And at the same time, very alluring. He found himself seeing an odd sight: Thalia sitting on a throne of ice, frozen statues-- which were frozen people--surrounding her. Then the sight was gone.

A true ice queen, indeed.

"Are we going home?" Thalia asked timidly, snapping him out of his trance. She looked at him, her brown eyes boring into him. Not like cold Khione, this was Thalia. Thalia the snarky, timid, sweet, and million other things that described her. He couldn't name them all, but they were what made Thalia so unique. But Khione, she was silent, cold, ruthless. Unseen sides of Thalia; and yet showed respect for him. Two sides of the same person.

The ruler and the killer.

It truthfully scared him, and he wished at that moment he would never piss her off.

He nodded, and she joined him, her footsteps falling in sync with his. Her warm fingers twined with his in his pocket, and he pressed their hands together, savoring the heat coming off her. In his head, it sounded corny, but he was glad to have Thalia.

~G.A.M.E.~

Burying her face into someone's chest, the steady  _thump, thump_  of their heart was an assuring sound. Slow, yet not enough to scare anyone. Pressing an ear to their ribs, each solid and slow beat a soft lullaby, almost like the ticking of a second hand. One after another after another....

Hands picked her up, setting her back on the bed, her head touching the pillow. It felt cool, and she wanted to drift back to sleep, but something, something vague, dragged her back to consciousness. Slowly, she realized it wasn't consciousness she was coming back to, but some kind of gray area. It was seeing through foggy glass; all she could make out was a glass coffin. And someone laid inside it.

_Placing a hand on the glass, she could see what they were wearing. Buckled ankle boots, shorts, a white undershirt, and a blue button down. Something probably worn during early April, she thought, as she examined the person further. A puff of steam left the person's mouth, and it suddenly hit her. This was a hyperbaric chamber, and the person inside was dying._

_"She's stabilized, sir."_

_She jumped at the sudden noise. A man dressed in black clothes stood in front of the control panel, his fingers stained with red. Blood. Looking down to her hands, she realized she wasn't standing anymore, but sitting in a chair close to the chamber. And her hand was handcuffed to the arm rest._

_Looking up, her father kept giving her murderous glares. Then he glanced to the chamber, talking quietly with the man operating the control panel. He turned his head towards the person inside the chamber, his face falling._

_"She's basically in a vegetative state," the man said, glancing to the person inside before moving his fingers on the panel. "An inch away from brain dead. Whatever he did, he did it good. Because at this point, if she ever recovers, you're looking at best case scenario her being paralyzed, worst case scenario... she'd be in a state like this permanently."_

_Well, that's why he was giving her dirty looks. She'd basically condemned some poor girl to eternal misery. Before she could spare another glance at the girl in the hyperbaric chamber, she drifted off, sleeping fitfully. Then she stood with two people, Carroll and her father, engrossed in conversation._

_"The effect of the medicines is wearing off," Carroll noted, looking to the side at the hospital bed. "Hopefully, she wakes up."_

_"I'm concerned," she suddenly said, and both adult's gazes fell on her. "What about paralysis?"_

_"Byrd and I did the best job we could," Carroll assured her. "But paralysis is still a possibility. That metal shard did some nasty damage."_

_"Well, I hope you're happy," Ian told her, completely blasé._

_"It was an accident!" she replied, distressed. "She panicked, and I tried-- I tried to..."_

_"Tried to kill her is what you did," Ian snapped bitterly._

_"No! It was just an accident," she admitted, hanging her head. Suddenly the heart monitor began beeping quickly._

_"Her heart rate's picking up," Carroll replied, a hint of curiosity and astonishment in her voice. "She must be awakening."_

_Carroll took long strides to the girl's bedside, her blonde hair swishing in its ponytail. She spared fleeting glimpses of the hospital bed, where she began talking to the girl. "You just went through surgery on your neck. Donnie staunched the bleeding."_

_And then Carroll pointed at her._

~*~

Donnie exited the bathroom, padding down the hallway when he heard an ear piercing shriek. Speeding to the room, he climbed onto the bed, placing a hand on top of hers. "Thalia, it's okay," he said quietly, weaving his fingers through hers. Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled her fingers from his, wiping spilled tears from her cheeks. "Hey, what happened?"

"I don't know." She covered her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Can you do something for me, please?"

He nodded. "What is it?" But he was already forming an idea as to what she wanted, so he bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead. She sighed loudly, and her fingers ran through his hair, her palm resting at the nape of his neck. It was a subtle gesture, he knew, one she used when he made her feel better.

"So are we going to talk about the incident?"

"No," she answered. He hovered over her, his eyes lighting up in amusement.

"And why not?"

"Because I said no," Thalia rolled her eyes, wiping at them. "I don't like talking about it. I can do fancy stuff, big deal."

"It is a big deal." Donnie shifted on the bed. "You made and stopped a blizzard."

"You're baiting me, that's a bad idea," Thalia cautioned. Her face went deadly serious.

He arched an eyebrow, a small smile lighting up his face. "Why? What's gonna happen if I keep going?"

"I think you know  _exactly_  what's gonna happen."

"But you--"

"Nope, be quiet!" Thalia threw an arm around his neck, pressing her lips to his, effectively silencing him. She felt his hands clutching at her skin, and she opened her eyes and locked them with his. "You going to stop now?"

"You know, I'm sure that making me stop talking didn't involve this."

She looked down, and somehow, she had rolled on top of him. Her thighs were pressed to either side of his hips, and the sheets were thrown to the foot of the bed. "I know what you're up to," she declared, pointing a finger at him. "You can't fool me."

"What could I possibly be up to?" he asked innocently, clasping his hands behind his head. He watched in amusement as she narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Donald Vincent Gill, even if I sleep with you every night, I'm not...  _cheap_."

He laughed, so loud it might have drawn Triplett's attention had he been there. "Thalia Lorelei Quinn, the fact that I sleep with you every night doesn't make you cheap. As a matter of fact..."

"Don't you dare," Thalia threatened, and he swore he heard her growl.

"Why?"

"Because it sounds so  _cheesy_ ," she cringed as his grin brightened.

"I find it very lucky that I'm able that I have a girlfriend at all, especially one as beautiful as you!" Donnie said quickly, and she scowled. "Oh come on, Thalia. Don't do that. You're being ridiculous."

" _I'm_  being ridiculous?" She fisted her hand into his shirt, bringing his face close to hers. "You're the one bringing up the subject."

"Thalia, you're being ridiculous because you're getting worked up over nothing," he told her blankly. "So drop it."

"Fine." Releasing his shirt, he dropped back to the bed, his eyes connecting with hers in panic.

"I didn't mean drop me!" he exclaimed.

"You said 'drop the subject', so I did."

"I'm not the metaphorical subject," he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Of course not," a slow smile spread across her face. "You're the subject, and I your queen."

"Oh, I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

She nodded, barely able to contain her glee. Bending down, she pecked him on the nose. "Wait a minute, if you're queen, what does that make me?"

"Obviously my king, who keeps denying me a consort," an accusing stare was on her face, but it was offset by the small smirk on her lips. "For reasons I will never know."

"All you have to do is ask," he replied, his tone serious. Her eyes went wide.

"I was only kidding, Donnie," her voice was small and shaky.

"I know," he murmured, pressing his hand to the back of his neck. She placed her arms on either side of his head, closing her eyes and taking a quivering breath. "I was, too."

"Well, since I'm already here," she said quietly, bending down and pressing her lips to his.

Pulling his hand out from under his head, he cupped her face, and she immediately pulled back, backing into the wall. He sat up, rubbing his hands across his face. "I can't do this."

He looked up, and was actually surprised to see her hands against the wall, slightly shaking. Her skin was flushed, and his heart began thudding heavily in his chest. Dragging the heel of his hand up and down his leg, he regained his breathing. "Can't do what?"

Thalia mumbled incoherently to herself for a few seconds, then sighed heavily, running her shaky fingers through her dark hair. "It scares me."

"What does?" Donnie stood up, keeping his distance. "This? The kiss and what I said? Thalia, I'm sorry if it bugged you."

"No, I'm just... scared." Thalia shivered. "I'm not actually sure if... it's... happened for me."

"Well, you're not alone," Donnie assured her. "I know for a fact it has  _not_  happened for me yet."

"Well, that's good," she sighed.

"What? My being a virgin?" His cheeks slowly burned red as he said it.

"No." Thalia slowly climbed onto the bed. "Our general lack of how-to," she added, placing her head on a pillow.

"Well, our lack of how-to isn't exactly due to abstinence." He sat down next to her, and she sat up, draping her legs over his lap. Running his hand along her calf, she curled her toes into the sheet. He pinched under her knee, and her leg jerked, making her squeak.

"Stop that!"

"Why? Is it bothering you?" he asked mockingly, beginning to tickle under her arms. Thalia began protesting, but it eventually gave way to breathless laughing.

"I'm not ticklish!" she laughed, and he ghosted his fingers along her exposed collarbone.

"Maybe your neck is ticklish."

"What are you talking about, my neck isn't ticklish--" Thalia was silenced when Donnie kissed her, tilting her jaw upwards. One thing she liked about when they kissed (besides the fact it didn't feel like she was suffocating due to the extra body heat, which he was void of, thank God) was when they did, he put himself into it thoroughly; it took her breath away. It was cold and warm, hard and soft. His nervousness, that's what was so sweet about the whole thing.

Letting the kiss linger for a few moments, she pulled back. "Donnie."

His forehead was pressed against hers. "Hm?"

"Are you holding back on me?"

"I have to," he answered quietly. "It hurts people."

"I'm a hundred and six degrees, Donnie."

"And I'm sitting somewhere between forty and sixty," he replied, and a puff of steam escaped from between his lips.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "If it makes you feel better, I will tell you when we need to slow down. Okay?"

His response was all she needed; the nervousness behind his kiss was now gone, instead it was now replaced with hunger. Wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, she curled her fingers into his hair. He moaned, then kissed her harder, his hand running up the back of her neck. Against his lips, she felt like she was on fire, and he wanted it. That fire under her skin, burning hotter as her heart raced.

Running his hand along her neck to rest on her cheek, he could feel the heat emanating from her skin. Breaking for air, he began pressing hungry kisses down her neck, pulling her into his lap. The cold in his skin started to ebb away. Thalia moaned quietly, and their lips crashed together again. Parting his lips against hers, he could taste toothpaste, minty with a hint of cinnamon. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he pulled his lips from hers, skimming the skin under her jaw. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she tightened her fingers in his hair. Heat spread through her body, making her fingers shoot sparks. Then when his mouth touched her burning skin, it was like ice water was shot through her veins, and she moaned out loud, pressing herself close to him.

Then she was someplace else.

_The sun warmed the back of her neck as she walked down the sidewalk, her head down. She tucked her hands into her jacket pockets, looking at her feet as she walked. Looking up, the crowd has thinned considerably. So much, in fact, nobody was on the street. Nobody except a girl a little ways ahead of her, the same girl from her earlier nightmare. Looking down the street, she noticed a car speeding down the road. "Look out!"_

_The girl stepped off the sidewalk and she pulled the girl back, causing her to stumble backwards. "Are you insane?"_

_The_   _girl turned to face her. "What the hell was that?"_

_"I believe that was me," she replied. "Saving your life."_

_"I was perfectly fine, thank you."_

_"You walked into oncoming traffic."_

_"And I could have just as easily seen that myself." The girl curled her fingers around her hips. Black vans pulled up to the corner, and men jumped out, pointing guns at the two teenagers. A quick look around uncovered what she now knew._

_This was an invisible abduction._

_"No way in hell I signed up for this!" The girl pushed past an armed man and took off across the street._

_"Wrong place at the wrong time," a man remarked. "She'll have to come with us."_

_But she didn't hear it. Because she was already gone._

_"Wait!"_

_Stopping, the girl turned warily. Suddenly, the impact of the two slamming into each other caused her to stumble backwards. The heel of her ankle boot ground noisily against the pavement, and the back of her head connected with the end of a bench. Fleetingly, the look of shock flashed across her face. Then she went slack as her head connected with the pavement with a sickening crack._

_Pushing herself off the unconscious girl, she dusted asphalt dust and rocks off her hands, discreetly tucking a pair of gloves back into her hoodie pocket. Sliding her hand under the girl's neck, time seemed to stop when she felt something warm pulsing between her fingers._

_Bringing her hand out, blood was smeared across her fingers, and now rapidly pooling on the pavement. Quickly stripping off her jacket, she lifted the girl's head and caught a first glimpse of it. A nasty, ugly, four inch, deep and profusely bleeding gash along the back of her neck. When the pressure of her jacket against the girl's neck was applied, she saw her fingers twitch. After a silent thank you to any unnamed forces or deities out there, she dug her phone out of her back pocket, holding her blood soaked finger over the power button. Except her finger kept slipping off, so she frustratedly slipped it back into her pocket. Turning, three guns were pointed at her._

_"You. Get in the car. Now."_

_"I can't," she replied. "She hit her head, and she's bleeding badly. She might even have a concussion."_

_"Damn it," one of the men cursed. "Mister Quinn isn't going to be happy about this."_

_"You guys work for Ian Quinn?" She felt a rush of relief, and anger, oddly enough, flood her veins. What were her father's men doing here? "You could've just said so!"_

_"We weren't told to open up the welcome wagon."_

_"Well, because you didn't, this girl could be dying!"_

_"Get her in the car."_

_Carrying the girl carefully, she moved into the car while trying to not move her jacket. Then the image flickered, and she was in the hospital room. Her father, Carroll, and the girl were present. Her father spoke. "Pleasure to save your life, Miss..."_

_"I can't remember," the girl replied. Her voice was hoarse from a week or so of disuse. "I think it was Thalia..."_

Suddenly she was sucked back into the room. Pulling herself away from Donnie, the realization of what she just saw finally hit her. "Thalia, what's wrong?"

He reached out to touch her shoulder and she flinched away. Drawing his eyebrows together, his hand dropped in confusion. "Thalia, what happened? What's wrong?"

"What did you do to me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The excerpt that Thalia reads is from the book Wicked by Gregory Maguire (City of Emeralds, page two hundred forty-five). And I was reading that book when I wrote that part because in some ways you can kinda see the parallels between Donnie and Elphaba. 
> 
> I love comments and feedback!


	16. A Curious Development

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, I'm late... Sorry! But the good news is only six days to the next update!

Rolling over in bed, Skye planted her feet on the floor, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Suddenly the holocom began ringing. Standing, she padded to the debriefing room, answering the comm. Triplett was on the other end. "Triplett?"

"Skye, I need you guys down here. Now."

She immediately woke. "Why? What happened?"

"I think Thalia had some kind of relapse," Triplett shrugged. "I had to get pool cleaner early this morning, and when I got back, Thalia was yelling at Donnie and telling him to stay away from her. She was shaking and crying and trying to get away from him, and now she's making the power surge and if it doesn't stop, she'll blow the power to the whole block."

"Yeah, we're on our way. Be there in maybe fifteen minutes," Skye said hurriedly, ending the call. Slipping into a pair of shoes, she jumped into the van, starting the engine. As the cargo bay door lowered, she reversed onto the landing spot, then jerked the wheel sideways, tearing out and onto the road.

Arriving at Triplett's house a rough ten minutes later, she opened the door and burst into the living room. Triplett stood, leading her down the hallway. Donnie's voice floated down the hall. "Thalia, will you please tell me what's wrong?"

"Get away from me!" she snarled, her voice raw from yelling. The lights overhead surged, becoming insanely bright before dimming. Then the temperature dropped, making their breath steam. Opening the bedroom door, a gust of icy wind bit at their skin. The room inside was covered in a combination of snow and ice, the room steadily getting colder. A snowstorm covered the ceiling, sending flurries of snow and the occasional lightning bolt down as the conversation progressed.

"Which one's doing that?" Skye pointed to the snowstorm.

"They both share the same Gifts?" Triplett asked incredulously. "I think I'm gonna need hazard pay. 'Watching insanely volatile when provoked teenagers' wasn't in the job description."

"Really? And 'training provided by the Clairvoyant' wasn't?"

"More like fine print," Triplett replied matter of factly. "But nobody ever said they'd have a falling out."

"Even  _they_ would eventually--"

"Donnie and Thalia having a domestic?"

Skye jumped. Jemma and Coulson were behind them, watching the fight in the room. "Jemma Simmons, if you sneak up on me again, so help me God you'll regret it."

"Well, it seemed pretty odd when you left this morning. Bed empty, no note, car gone."

"Don't quote your British movies at me. Can you help?"

"We brought a small kit."

Peering inside, Thalia had shrunk into a corner, flinching away from Donnie. The clouds overhead turned pitch black, and he backed away. Snow began falling in thick curtains, savage winds blowing it around the room. Then they stopped, and the group gaped in astonishment as Thalia looked completely different.

"Khione, let me explain--"

"You had months to explain," Khione spat. Each step taken forward was one taken backwards by Donnie.

"Why's he calling her Khione?"

"Greek goddess of ice and snow," Coulson answered. "From Rick Riordan's book  _The Lost Hero_."

"Can we sue him?" Skye asked. "You know, in the event that she goes evil?"

"No."

"I bet when he thought it up, he found it fitting. Her being 'Greek' and one of her parents basically a god. Then this on top of it." Triplett gestured to inside the room. Donnie's face was sheet white as Khione grabbed his shirt, speaking to him in tones they didn't hear.

"He couldn't have called her Elsa?"

"Har har," Triplett laughed wryly. "She matches the description of Khione from the book. Black hair, pale skin, brown eyes. Overall icy attitude and demeanor."

"Of all people, Donnie Gill is having some of the most rotten luck. He created an ice goddess, his girlfriend, who hates his guts. I'd be scared, too."

"There must be a perfectly reasonable explanation," Jemma reasoned, stepping into the room. The storm stopped, and Khione shifted back into Thalia, who promptly cowered away from Donnie. She left the room, sobbing into Coulson's chest.

"Come on," he soothed her, leading her into the living room. Jemma opened the window, letting the warmth from the July air into the room.

"What happened?" Jemma asked, standing next to the window.

"I don't know," Donnie shrugged. "We had been talking about the incident--what you just saw-- from maybe a day or so back, and she kinda blacked out. Then she came back and was absolutely terrified of me."

"What could you have done that scared her?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

Leading him to the living room, Jemma sat across the room while Coulson was talking to Thalia. Skye sat next to her, typing on her phone. Suddenly her phone dinged.

_Did you see it?_

She texted back: _See what?_

_The pale parts of her neck?_

Looking up, Jemma squinted to see across the room. Barely visible, but there, were pale-ish spots of skin running down her throat. Picking up her phone, she replied  _So?_

_So, what's the whole story?_

_What are you insinuating?_

_I'm insinuating that maybe there are parts to the story that they're holding back. Maybe parts that can shed light on the situation._

_What exactly do you mean?_ Jemma blinked. _Skye..._

_So I'm not the only one who thinks something happened while those two were sucking face?_

_You're not NOW._

Jemma scoffed out loud. Donnie looked at her expectantly, and Coulson raised his gaze. "What is it?"

"She needs to grow up," Jemma glared pointedly at Skye.

"What?" Skye shrugged childishly. "I'm not the only one who thinks those two are leaving some things out of the story."

"Care to explain your theory, then?"

"Thalia's neck has pale parts on it," Skye pointed out. "My theory, is in a normal relationship, when heat's applied to blood veins, they become flexible, able to break slightly and cause blood to rush to the surface. But in this one, both people are the living embodiments of two extremes: hot and cold. So when heat is applied to extreme cold, it would cause the blood veins to immediately break.

"But," Skye continued, "when cold is applied to something warm over time, blood circulation slows. So when he kisses her, the skin underneath turns paler. So, to wrap up my theory, she's got reverse hickeys and he doesn't have any. So her heart rate is getting higher from whatever he's doing, which somehow made her go into an episode."

Jemma gaped at her. "How on earth could you possibly have guessed that?"

"I had to figure out how to cover up hickeys in high school, I'm not an idiot. And when chilled glass meets hot water, the glass breaks because of the extreme temperature change. So it doesn't take a moron to realize if her kisses have even a little pressure on his neck, it'll bruise. So while those two were making out, she had some kind of episode. Question is, what did she see or hear?"

Thalia wiped her tears from under her eyes. "I remember a little bit."

As she recalled what she saw, Jemma watched as Donnie's eyes widened. "You saw all that?"

Thalia turned to Donnie. "Yeah, I did. But the main point of it was this: you told me I was in an accident. An accident  _you_  caused."

Now it was everyone else's turn to be shocked. "Almost five months and you  _knew_. You knew what happened to me, and when I was in low places and wanted to know so bad why I couldn't remember, you knew and didn't tell me. You said I was in some kind of accident and got me to a hospital as fast as you could and it was a miracle I survived."

"I tried to find ways to tell you, and I've tried to find ways to pay back for what happened. Honestly, I did." He looked small. "I thought that if I could at least do something to make you feel better, or at least survive, I felt it was recompense for what I did."

"So you felt that giving me two pints of your blood and keeping me in the dark was the best way to go? Help me live and then lie to me, is that what you thought would help? Had it not occurred to you one day I'd eventually find out?"

Donnie recoiled, then ducked his head. "I'm sorry."

"I think I need some time," she rubbed her arms. "To think."

She ducked out the door. Taking in a breath, she bowed her head, running her fingers through her hair. Swiping Ryan's book off the table, she sat down on the front steps and read. It wasn't long before Ryan and his dog came down the sidewalk. "Hey."

"Hi," she answered, flipping the page. Ryan stopped, his dog pulling him along.

"What's wrong?"

"Is it alright if I go with you to your house?" Thalia asked, her throat closing. "I'm sorry, it's just that me and Donnie had a bit of a fight and I just want to be alone right now."

"Yeah, sure," Ryan nodded. "Come on, my house is just around the corner."

After walking through the intense heat, they both collapsed onto the plush couch. "I'm going to get water. You want some?"

"Yes, please," Thalia panted, and Ryan took off for the kitchen. Sitting straight, she glanced at the mantle, seeing the pictures. Ryan and his family, many different shots, but one sat at the end, draped in black ribbons. She had black hair and brown eyes, smiling broadly at the camera. Marie Hearthrow-Huntsman, the ribbons read. The birth date was faded, but the death date was a little readable. January eleventh, 2003. In the center of the mantle, she saw wedding pictures. A woman with light brown hair and blue eyes kissed her groom, a man with dark hair and hazel eyes.

"Hello, stranger."

Turning, the woman from the wedding pictures stood at the foot of the stairs. "That's his foster mom."

Thalia pointed to the ribboned picture. The woman nodded. "After Marie divorced his dad, she got together with this scientist. She died a few years after in this house fire. Then about a year after, I divorced from my marriage and moved here to be with family. And that's when I met Will. We dated and married soon after." The woman extended her hand. "I'm Lilah."

"Thalia," she shook Lilah's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"And vice versa," Lilah nodded.

"I don't mean to be rude, but you look so familiar," Thalia knit her eyebrows together. "You kinda look like my boyfriend. Not to be rude or anything, it's just his eyes look exactly like yours."

Lilah stood like a statue, her gaze fixed on Thalia. "Really?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Thalia held out her hands in front of her, like one would when they surrender. "It's just very similar."

"What's his name?"

"Lilah!" Ryan came from the kitchen with glasses of water. "Sorry, Thalia. Is she grilling you?"

"Sorry," Lilah pressed a kiss to his forehead before he pulled away. "Just having a conversation. She said her boyfriend looks like me a little bit."

"That's a lie." Lilah's stance relaxed. "He could be your kid, Lilah. Dark hair, your eyes, nose and lips. High cheekbones, strong jawline."

Her phone rang. "This is Lilah. Yep, I'm on my way." She tucked the device into her pocket. "Sorry, I gotta go."

After Lilah left, Ryan handed Thalia a glass of water. "That was weird."

Taking a sip of water, Thalia nodded. "Yeah, that was."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Where did she go?"

Donnie entered the house, his face drawn. "I looked all over the neighborhood and didn't find her."

"Maybe she went off to that park again," Triplett suggested. Donnie shook his head.

"No, I checked there too. Nobody there said they saw her."

"Does she have any friends in this neighborhood?" Coulson asked.

"This one guy, Ryan," Donnie replied, "but I don't know where he lives. He could live anywhere within a square mile of here."

"Did you try searching in other neighborhoods? There's another one around the corner." Skye looked up from her phone. "I'll come with you."

The front door opened, and Thalia stepped through the door, clearly exhausted. Sidestepping Donnie, she headed to the bathroom. "Well, we're leaving," Jemma stood. "We have things to do. Let us know if anything happens."

After filing out the door, Donnie sat down on the couch, wiping his forehead. Triplett yawned. "She has a penchant for theatrics."

"No kidding. No-one has a clue where she is, and suddenly she comes in the front door."

The bathroom door opened, and Thalia exited, walking up to Triplett. "Is there a spare bedroom?"

"Yeah, let me show you." Triplett led her to a room opposite Donnie's, opening the door and letting her inside. The door shut, and he pulled something from the fridge, sitting down at the table. "Want a beer?"

"I'm eighteen."

"Do you want a beer?" Triplett asked again with a blank face.

"It disrupts my thinking."

"Quit being a nerd about it and answer the damn question."

"No, I will not have one."

"Then I'll ask her to be my drinking buddy."

"She's intolerant."

"How do you know?"

"Because when we were still in Monaco, Mister Quinn's friend Gloria took her for a wine tasting and they came back not even an hour later because she had started throwing up after the first round. One thing learned from that incident: she's intolerant."

"Then I'll just sit here and drink by myself," Triplett grumbled, taking a long swig from his bottle. "So how long is this fight between you two going to last? Because if each time you two try and talk ends up with one of the bedrooms looking like an icy throne room, then I'll make you both sleep outside."

"I don't know." Donnie shrugged. Placing his head in his hands, he muttered, "I messed up."

"No kidding," Triplett snorted. "I'd think that too if I was you and my girlfriend found out I was the reason she was put in the hospital."

"You're being completely insensitive about this, you know."

"Oh, I do know." Triplett set his bottle down on the table. "I'm not going to pity you. Five months of close calls and lies? I would be surprised if she wasn't pissed. We, as S.H.I.E.L.D., are-- were-- composed of close calls and lies and secrets, but just because you were once a part of it doesn't mean it should define your future."

"I don't need the lecture, okay?" Donnie snapped. "Imagine if you were in my position. Five months of horrible guilt, not just from hurting her like that, but from the weight of all the things that happened because of me. Seth, dead! Thalia completely destroyed by what I did and didn't tell her! She may hate me for the rest of her life! Can you imagine that? One of the only people that you actually care about hates you?"

Triplett fell silent. "Then you need to apologize."

"She won't listen to me."

"Give her time," Triplett suggested. "Eventually she'll come around."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Coulson stood over the holocom, watching the news. "I take it we have a new assignment?"

"We do," he replied, watching Jemma sling her kit over her shoulder. He moved and let her see the video.

_"Terror at Morning Road Cemetery, where police are still trying to piece together what happened. Families came to this cemetery this morning to visit their loved ones, when they discovered that someone, or something, had destroyed the cemetery, smashing headstones, displays, and digging up graves. There is no list as to how many bodies are currently missing."_

"Someone's mass exhuming graves?" She scrunched her eyebrows together. "Why?"

"No clue, but this particular case caught my attention for two reasons. One: that cemetery also doubles as a S.H.I.E.L.D. burial ground. Two: there's a name on that list that's come up."

"Who?"

"I think it might be a fluke, but there could be thousands of people with the name." Coulson straightened his files. "But just to be sure, we're investigating."

"Sir, it would really help if you could tell me who this person is."

"Seth Dormer."  
~*~  
Donnie stood outside Thalia's door, his curled fingers hovering above the wood. Then, screwing up every ounce of courage he had, he knocked. Once. Twice. Three times. The door opened, and Thalia quickly moved away, heading back to the bed. Clothes were laid out on the bed. "What do you need, Donnie?"

He looked up to meet her gaze. Her eyes were rimmed with red, the whites bloodshot. The tip of her nose was red, like she had rubbed it many times. Like she did now, running her fingers over the side of her nose. "I want to apologize."

"For what?" She looked him straight in the eyes, wearing a blank expression and her arms crossed.

"Thalia, don't do that."

"I mean, it's not like you could easily trip over your own feet again and make me forget all this," she said edgily, her eyes brimming with tears. "It'll save the apology."

"Please stop," Donnie pleaded with her. "I honestly wanted to tell you. I couldn't find the words."

"Go ahead, apologize," she gestured to him, "apologize for something you did and never apologized for in the five months we've been together. Go ahead."

"I'm sorry." Donnie looked down to the floor. "I'm sorry, Thalia."

"Oh God," she gasped, sinking to the floor. Tears spilled down her face, and she drew her knees up to her chest, the tears coming faster. She began sobbing loudly, and automatically, his heart wrenched. Suddenly, he felt like he wanted to leave, and he had turned for the door when her sobbing hitched.

"Please stay," she hiccuped, standing up. She absently wiped the falling tears from under her eyes. She took a fistful of his shirt in her hand, and slowly, he turned, drawing her into his chest. Her crying picked up again, and he sat down on the bed, letting her sob into his shoulder. It wasn't fair, he knew, expecting her to be in better emotional balance. Thalia could barely contain emotions, and this was like a burst dam of pent up anger, sadness, and grief, but the one that caught him off guard so much was love. Caring so deeply for him, it hurt her just as deep. Wanting to hate him but unable to because he was the only thing that she could hold onto. It tore him up inside, knowing she wanted to forgive him. He wanted her so badly to hate him; after all, he had stolen her life away. But she wasn't one for listening to people, least of all him.

It was like she was eight years old all over again.

Thalia had gone still against him. Turning her cheek to face him, she had fallen asleep, her dark eyelashes wet with tears. Looping an arm under her legs, he picked her up briefly, laying her out on the bed. Moving her clothes to the end of the bed, he covered her in a blanket. She moved her arm under her head, making herself comfortable before drifting off again.

He left the room, shutting the door behind him. Triplett stood outside in the hallway, fixing a picture on the wall when he looked up. "How did it go?"

"I don't know," Donnie replied quietly, placing his head quietly against the doorframe. "I don't know."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Walking along the rubble strewn sidewalks, Coulson stopped in the cleanest part of the sidewalk, letting Jemma and Skye stand there with him. "So, each person will take a portion of the graveyard. If you find any graves that could be promising, find a police officer and have them mark the plot number so we can view the file for the particular site."

Splitting into their separate sections, each combed the rows of smashed headstones, looking for any that stood out in the slightest. Vicious headstone bashing, marked. Excessive digging, marked. If coffins were bashed and broken on the site, marked. It was, truthfully, a long and vigorous process that ate at their time. When each came back, they all shook their heads, handing the man in charge their lists. "I'll get the names. But there was one area you missed."

Coulson looked up. "Where?"

"The Nest," the man in charge answered. "Gravedigger called it that because for some odd reason, there's an eagle imprinted on the side of the graves."

Running up the hill, Skye pushed the gate open. Scanning the rows of headstones, she stopped when she almost fell into a hole. "Coulson, come see this!"

Five minutes later, Coulson and Jemma pushed the gate open, picking past the graves until they came to Skye's side. "Look."

They followed her finger to the grave. A gaping hole was in the ground, and a gaping hole was in the coffin below. Looking to the stone, the front read  _Seth Drew Dormer, beloved and dearly missed._ But they concerned themselves with the glowing red handprint that was burned into the stone.  
~*~  
Turning over onto his side, Donnie glanced at the clock. 2:19 a.m. Groaning, he stood up, walking down the hall to the bathroom. He placed his hand on the knob when an acrid, foul smell hit his nose. He could remember the smell from somewhere, he needed to remember...

Looking down, he let go of the knob and watched as it froze solid. Triplett groaned, climbing out of bed. "What's that smell?"

Donnie shrugged. "I don't know. I was hoping you'd know."

"Smells like smoke," Triplett remarked. "Where's it coming from?"

"He said we could trust you!" Thalia whimpered, and the fire alarms began beeping. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

"What's she talking about?" Triplett asked, knocking on her door. "Miss Thalia, is everything alright?"

"Daddy!" she howled, and the lights lit up, blasting the light bulbs.

"Night terror?" Triplett asked quickly. Then he began pounding on the door, trying to get it open. "Thalia, open the door!"

He kept pounding on the door, trying to get it open. "It's not budging!"

"Move," Donnie ordered, and he placed his hands on the smooth wood, he concentrated, using what she had taught him to get the door open. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and ice began spreading from his fingertips across the door, the creeping ice much resembling spindly fingers. Spindly, cold fingers touching the edges of the door and covering the black wood in a shiny coat of ice.

Spindly, long fingers of ice covered more of the door. He suddenly began feeling very dizzy, leaning his weight into the door to stay upright. Finally pulling away, he fell against the opposite wall, fighting off nausea. A sound like shattering glass echoed loudly in his head, so he shut his eyes (like that'd help his  _ears_ ) and placed a hand on the wall.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, and he was pretty sure he sounded drunk, because the room was seriously spinning now. Through his blurring vision, he could make out Triplett talking with some girl with long black hair. He knew her name, what was it again..?

Someone looped an arm around his shoulders, helping him to the couch. Then he was holding a cup of water, and he greedily drank it, resting his head on the arm of the couch between cups of water. "Five cups of water?" Triplett said incredulously. "That's sick."

"What did he do?"

"Froze an entire door solid. He looked pretty sick after about thirty seconds of it."

"He's never done something like that before!" the girl scolded Triplett. "Freezing small things requires effort for him."

"Well, Thalia, you were screaming in your sleep. Making the light bulbs explode and the fire alarms go off."

"He has limits, Agent Triplett. Back in Monaco, I had a nosebleed after trying to stop a bullet. Obviously, I stopped it, but I hadn't used my Gifts at all that day. Try doing something like that without disastrous consequences."

Soft fingers stroked his face. Then someone opened his eye and looked at him. A coffee brown iris with flecks of blue focused on him. "He's out."

"No, I'm not..." Donnie grumbled.

"Donald Vincent Gill, quit trying to act tough," Thalia reprimanded him. "You're overextended, now sleep it off."

"His name's Donald?"

"Uh, yeah. What did you think Donnie was short for?"

"I thought that  _was_ his name."

"Well that shows what you know."

"Just because you've got degrees doesn't mean you can insult my intelligence."

"If you want me to not insult your intelligence, how many degrees is the earth tilted to the side on its axis?"

"What?"

"It's twenty-three and a half. And it might be wise knowing this in the event that we'd probably like to know the trajectory of an alien invasion that won't burn up in earth's twenty-three and a half degrees to the side ozone layer."

"Aliens already invaded us, Thalia," Triplett pointed out. "So that's moot point."

"In the case they get past us.  _Again_." Thalia sighed. "You can go back to bed now."

"Why?" Triplett raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to watch him?"

Thalia cocked a hip. "Do you know how to tend to him in scenarios such as this one?"

"Fair point," he replied, shutting off the lights. "Goodnight, Miss Thalia."

Curling up on the end of the couch, she tossed a blanket over her legs, closing her eyes. The familiar dark of the backs of her eyelids was replaced with a dim room.

_"Who's there?" she called out feebly. The pressure lock on her door hissed shut, and she climbed out of bed, twisting the knob on the door. It didn't move._

_"That locks when something's going on in the lab, doesn't it?"_

_She turned slowly at the voice. Someone stood in the shadow of the closet door, watching her like a predator to its prey. "What are you doing?"_

_"I told him that you were a miracle, but it didn't seem to sink in," the man admitted with a dry laugh. "He did, however, listen to my plea about your genius."_

_"So?" She placed her shaking hands on her waist, her nails digging into the soft skin of her stomach. "Why do you care?"_

_"You can change the world, Thalia Lorelei Quinn," the man enunciated her name, and her stomach lurched. "I just have to trigger you to do it."_

_Thick black smoke filled the room. It floated up through the vents. She began coughing, choking out more words. "Who are you?"_

_"My dear Thalia," the man emerged from the shadows, "I am your biggest fan."_

_"He said we could trust you!" She moved towards her bed. The floor felt broiling hot under her feet, and she jumped up, gasping at the sudden pain on her soles. Stripping her socks off, she was lifted into the air, the man's arms like steel bands around her. "What are you doing? Stop it!"_

_"I'm helping you," the man grunted, trying to hold onto her and reach for something on her nightstand. Flames burst through the floor, licking at the hems of her pajama pants. She screamed, hearing something crash down outside the room. The flames grew higher._

_"Daddy!" she screamed, putting every ounce of power into her small and cracking voice. Finally reaching for the mystery object, the man clamped a hand around her mouth. She thrashed violently, kicking at the man's legs to try and stop him. Then when all the oxygen left her lungs, she unwillingly took in more air, and she grew lightheaded, the room blurring in front of her. "D-daddy, h-help me..."_

_"He can't, he's a bit preoccupied at the moment," the man informed her, and she went slack. Removing his hand, the man bent down to look at her, and she brought her heel up behind her. He howled in pain, and she fell on her hands and knees, trying to reach for the door, her hands and knees feeling the brunt force of the fire a level below her. Lowering her face to the floor, she peered under the door, seeing nothing but fire. The stairs were crumbling, and the ceiling had collapsed, scattering pieces of wood. Smelling burning hair, she began screaming at the smoldering ends of hair that had gotten too close to flame. She batted at the burning hair, smothering the flames with the palms of her hands._

_"I never liked children," the man growled, and he now had her hair in a death grip, the object-a rag from the looks of it- forced over her face. The flames now licked the ceiling, and she swore she heard sirens. The world was fading in and out, her lungs filling alternatively with smoke and the vapor off the rag. Before she closed her eyes, the man looked down at her, victory in his features._

_"I'll see you again, Thalia Quinn."_

"Thalia!"

She easily woke from this newest night terror, sunlight burning its impression into her eyes. Donnie stood over her, the same sunlight dancing off the blue in his irises, making the usually ever-changing dark blue to light blue irises an ice blue color in the morning light. She tossed her head back against the pillow, rubbing her hand across her face; a habit she had mysteriously acquired shortly after the night terrors started. "I'm fine. It's over, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Donnie asked, uncertain showing in his tone.

"Yeah," she admitted with a sigh. "I'm sure."

Backing away, Donnie made his way to the kitchen, making breakfast. When she was positive he wasn't looking, she lightly hit her temple with her hand. "Get out," she muttered softly, pushing against her temple with a finger. Standing up, she moved from the living room to the kitchen, sitting in a chair. Watching Donnie move sleepily around the kitchen, she assessed their now awkward situation. It was at a strange level; they were still close, but it wasn't the same. Not the celebratory hugs and happy kisses on the nose or forehead, and not the kinds of kisses that threatened to destroy every part of her sanity. The kind where they almost attacked each other, pressing their bodies so close they could feel each other's heartbeats.

Donnie sat down opposite her, eating a bowl of cereal. She shifted her fingers back and forth, watching the electricity pass between her joints and fingernails. Picking her hands up, she moved them in circles above each other. A ball of crackling light formed between her hands, and Donnie's spoon began to lift up and out of his hand, milk dripping off the ladle. He watched in a sleepy fascination, and his eyes drifted upwards as the lights began to dim. She stared at the crackling ball of energy with awe; it was glowing, stray bolts of electricity reached out and touched her fingertips. Then it disappeared, the lights brightening again. Donnie took his spoon back, returning to his bowl. Standing up, she silently made her way back to her room. Laying on her bed, she closed her eyes, another dream coming to her.

_Touching the toe of her ballet flat to the floorboard of the car, Thalia looked up, staring at the rearview mirror. "Mister Solomon?"_

_"Yes, Miss Quinn?"_

_"Why was I picked up early?"_

_"Because Mister Quinn told me it was a surprise."_

_She smiled shyly, playing with the end of her fishtail braid. "Can I get a hint?"_

_"Nope."_

_Pulling into the garage, Solomon helped her out of the car, walking her up to the back hallway. Then after saying goodbye, she sprinted to her room, pulling off her backpack and taking down her hair. Glossy and wavy ink black hair fell past her shoulders, and she silently padded down the stairs, walking quietly to her dad's office. Peering in from the side of the door, she saw her dad talking with a red haired woman, her voice silky and soft._

_"I can't stay for long," the woman said, placing her arms on the arms of the chair. "There's unrest at home."_

_"How long?"_

_"A few days, a week at most."_

_"Daddy?" Thalia looked into the room fully. The woman looked at her with fascination. "Can I come in?"_

_"Of course," he said with a small smile. "Lorelei, this is Thalia."_

_As she padded in, Lorelei gasped in astonishment. "Is this her?"_

_Ian nodded, and Lorelei stepped forward, bending down to reach Thalia's height. "She's so small," Lorelei whispered, her thumbs brushing across her small features. Thalia took a piece of her red hair in her hand._

_"Your hair kinda looks like mine," Thalia observed the fiery strands._

_"You have your dad's hair color, but the hair is mine," Lorelei smiled._

_"Are you my mom?" Thalia asked bluntly. "He says I look a lot like you."_

_Lorelei nodded, and Thalia wrapped her arms fiercely around her neck, hugging the much taller woman. Feeling a pair of arms wrap around her back, she squealed as she flew up into the air. Lorelei smiled, pressing her lips against Thalia's hairline._

_Lorelei set her down on the floor. "What's your full name, Thalia?"_

_"Thalia Lorelei Quinn!" she announced proudly, and Ian beamed, making Lorelei blush._

_"You gave her my name?"_

_"To remind her of you," he replied. Thalia hugged him, and Lorelei picked her up again, hugging her._

_"She's going to be so beautiful," Lorelei whispered, stroking her hair._  
~*~  
In his office, Jemma and Skye were having a heated argument with each other.

"Why would someone dig up Seth Dormer?" Skye asked, tossing her lists to his desk. "The lists came back and every single one of the bodies was of someone who had died before the age of twenty-five. Who's raising an army of the undead?"

"What about T.A.H.I.T.I.?" Jemma countered. "Someone could be raising these people to reanimate them."

"But why?" Coulson asked Jemma. "Who wants droves of dead human bodies? They've been dead too long to be of any use on the black market." He temporarily held a dark look on his face. "Or to be saved by that."

"Wrong. Their fingerprints, eye colors, features. People could strip these dead people of their features to turn one person into them. They could pretend to be dead." Skye held up a phone. "And if these numbers are right, rogue S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra agents are willing to pay a lot of money to pose as dead or different people."

"What about the handprint on his grave? You can't say that it doesn't seem odd that there's a red-hot handprint on his grave."

"And then what was on the back," Skye added. "Someone wrote 'Run to Hyde' on the back of the stone."

"Hyde? That's spelled wrong."

"Unless that's the name our newest challenge is going by," Skye mused. "You know that story _The Mysterious Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde_  or something like that?"

"Scientist accidentally creates a villain, and they both died in the end. My personal favorite story of biochemistry in the eighteen hundreds."

"Jemma, that is completely weird of you to say," Skye pointed out. "But that's not the point. The point is someone named Hyde is mass exhuming graves from S.H.I.E.L.D. for a purpose. The question is: Why?"

"Maybe they need the bodies for something," Coulson offered. Skye looked at him with a look of annoyance.

"That brings us back to square one, A.C.," Skye said. "Why does Hyde need them in the first place?"

"Besides the fact that rogue agents can use them to have new identities."

Coulson shook his head. "I don't know."

All their phones beeped at once. Checking them, one thing was on the screens.

_Our childhoods are trying to kill us, aren't they? -H_

_~_ G.A.M.E.~

Thalia brushed her inky hair into a ponytail, letting the tail brush against the top of her back. Then, she took it down, not wanting her neck to be exposed. She laughed bitterly. Her behavior after Donnie's confession had made her revert back to how she was acting after she woke up. Except without Donnie protectively looking over her shoulder.

She checked her clothes in the mirror. It wasn't vanity, she assured herself, as she checked that each item fit properly. Using the assistance of the mirror, she clasped her necklace around her neck. Holding the snowflake charm in her hand, she studied its crystal in the center. An ice crystal, her father said, a rare thing to see, which glittered like freshly fallen snow in the light. Tucking it into her tank top, the silver chain rested against either side of her collarbones.

Sneaking past Donnie's door, she was at the front door when she heard, "Where are you going?"

Wincing, she turned on her heel, and Donnie stood in the hallway, watching her with wary eyes. "I'm going somewhere."

"Any particular somewhere you had in mind?"

"Donnie, I reserve the right to leave the house when I please." She didn't add the part where she wouldn't do that. Not to him. Even if she was still a little bent up about his lying to her. "There's nothing you can do about it."

"I can't do anything about it," Donnie agreed slowly, a knowing spark in his eye. He thought he won the conversation. "But Triplett can. And if you don't tell anyone where you're going, they'll put a tracker on you."

And he had. She scowled, then replied, "Fine. I'm going to the park. Happy?"

"Keep your phone on you," he replied quietly, ducking back into his room. After checking that her phone was in her pocket, she left, walking in the morning light down the street. Turning the corner, she picked up her pace, trying to keep out of view of the group of teenage boys on the separate corner.

"Hey!"

Ignoring the boys chorusing their call to her, she briskly crossed Magnolia Street. The crosswalk meant she was less than a block away from the park. Someone was jogging behind her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, Ryan placed his hands on her knees, panting. "I was trying to get your attention. I misplaced Nome's leash and was running late."

"Oh," she replied, petting Nome as he sniffed her hands. "I'm sorry. I thought those boys were following me."

"Yeah, they go to the high school in town," Ryan laughed darkly. "My graduating class."

"You sound sour about that."

"They love riding my ass about everything," Ryan sighed. "My lack of a girlfriend, status, wealth, anything their small brains can come up with. It's truly annoying the hell out of me."

"So I think if I can clear it with my guardian, I might be able to go to that party on Friday."

"That's good news," Ryan nodded his head. "Did you like  _Son of A Witch_?"

"I couldn't finish it," Thalia admitted. "I kept getting twisted up in Liir's moral dilemmas and all the drama."

Suddenly his phone began ringing. Digging it out of his pocket, he answered it. "Hello? What? No, that's ridiculous! Fine, I'm on my way." He gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, Lilah just called and apparently, Nome tore into the trash. Which is odd because he never digs into the garbage. I gotta take him back now."

"Oh," she replied, kind of rooted to her position on the sidewalk. Was all this a waste? "I'll just go home then."

"I'm sorry," Ryan frowned, and he quickly walked past, allowing her to quickly escape back to the house. Upon reentering it, a door opened.

"Triplett?" Donnie called. "Is that you?"

"No, it's me," she replied. "Change of plans."

"Speaking of those, I may need your help." Donnie exited the bathroom, and his shirt sleeve was stained with blood. "I think I may need stitches."

"What the hell did you do?" She ran to his side, working his now ruined shirt over his head. Pinning him against the wall, she held his arm out.

"Don't do that, that actually hurts! Ow!" Donnie whined as she pushed her fingers against the gash in his arm. Using her pinky finger, she pushed it into the cut. "I'm gonna be sick, please stop that."

"The fact I can do that means you do need stitches. Sit. Now," she ordered, and he pulled out a kitchen chair, sitting down. The cabinets started slamming, and a metal bowl threw itself into the sink, filling with hot water. She rifled through the drawers, bringing a hand towel and washrag to the table. Then she brought out the first aid kit, slamming it onto the table.

"Thalia, will you relax?"

"No Donnie, I will not," she answered him, shutting off the tap. "Because you see, I feel it obligatory to tend to those injured."

"I'm not injured!"

"The worst part of that's almost an inch deep," Thalia informed him while bringing out a small foil packet. "And that means it needs stitches."

"Why would you need a condom to sew up my arm?"

"What?" She peered at the packet. "These are SmartStitches, genius. Some guy in your Engineering class came up with way back when."

Wetting the washrag, she wrung it out and then began wiping the blood away. He groaned, trying to move away. Ripping the pack open, she pulled out three of the SmartStitches and laid them on his arm. A small green light lit up on each one, which began pulling the skin back together. "What exactly do these do?"

"Using nanotechnology, the small interface on the stitch can read how deep the cut is and adjust itself accordingly. Long rows of stitches won't be needed anymore." Thalia placed a bandage over the cut. "Well, they won't be when the U.S. Army or Airforce or whoever will stop trying to put a ban on all S.H.I.E.L.D. originating inventions. Those idiots fail to realize that stuff like this could revolutionize medical technology."

"I thought some hospitals would already be using it."

"These were being mass produced and were going to be distributed when this all went down. Now they're just... left behind. I guess Triplett must've raided their production factory and got his hands on a bunch of these."

"Are you done now?"

"You need a shower," she wrinkled her nose. "Go, now."

"What?" Donnie sniffed himself. "I smell fine."

"Fine," Thalia huffed. "You stink like boy and copper and won't listen to me because you 'smell fine'. At least wash the blood off."

"You know for someone who's still pissed at me you're acting pretty emotional over my well-being. Two days ago you wouldn't have cared if I got myself hit by a car."

"Of course I would've cared!" Thalia looked shocked. "Why would you think that?"

"It's an expression, Thalia!" Donnie stood up. "You know, one of those old ones?"

"No, I don't know 'one of those old ones' as you put it. Just because I'm pissed doesn't mean I stop caring. It means I'm pissed and I need time to think!"

She sat down on the couch. Donnie sat down next to her, his skin tinged with red. "I cannot stand you when you're dirty. Go take a shower." Thalia pointed to the bathroom. "Now."

"Make me."

"Oh, you want me to make you?" Thalia asked incredulously. "I'll make you alright."

Taking a hold in his hair, she dragged him to the table, sitting him down in a chair. Wetting down a washrag, she washed his neck. "You have to stay still."

"You just pulled my hair," Donnie grumbled, rubbing his scalp.

"Well then that should unveil details to my personality, now shouldn't it?" she asked, quickly washing her fingers off. They began fading back to normal skin color, and she dipped the rag into the steaming water, then quickly wrung it out, washing his shoulder.

"I get that," he laughed dryly. She smiled tightly, cleaning around the bandage. Taking the hand towel, she dabbed at the skin around the bandage. "It's been torture, you know."

"What has?"

"Keeping warm."

Placing her shin against his thigh, she leaned forward, wiping the back of his arm. "Really?" she asked, hoping to amuse him.

"It's numbing, being cold," he replied, rubbing his hand across his leg. "It doesn't bother me, the cold and the numbness, but I'd still like to be able to feel something warm once in a while."

"Mm-hm," she replied, (maybe) knowing what he was insinuating. One thing she was thankful for was her accelerated heartbeat; it made everything she thought, whether it be normal or not, have a nullifying effect on her. In short terms, it didn't make her blush (not embarrassingly red like normal girls) or have any other physical effects (like an increased heartbeat) when it finally occurred to her that Donnie was basically telling her that he wanted to kiss her. Badly. It was an amusing trait: immune to the effects of sexual tension. Even when she felt his thumb lightly tracing the outside of her foot. A sensation that pulled in two directions: moving away or moving closer. And the kicker was he knew this thought was going through her head.

Jason was right. That sneaky bastard.

Drying the back of his arm, she moved back, rubbing her foot against the inside of her pants. "So, mind telling me what did that?"

"The bathroom mirror did," Donnie crossed his arms. The edge of the bandage defined the swell of muscle in his arm. "I guess I was too rough with it and it fell on me."

"You being rough with the mirror caused it to fall on you?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Maybe tremors underground caused it to fall. We are in California, after all."

Spinning on her heel, she marched to the bathroom, checking the mirror. It hung on the wall, sturdy as ever. Wiping the mirror with a rag, she stood back. "I don't know what to tell you Donnie, but there is nothing--"

She suddenly began feeling the wall shake. Placing a hand on the wall, she closed her eyes, sensing the metal underneath. The metal studs along the wall were all clean, but something was making the walls shake. What was it? Opening her eyes, she felt a presence behind her as the mirror fell. Two hands caught the edges of the mirror, setting it on the counter. "I hate to say I told you so, but Thalia, I told you so."

Donnie left the bathroom and she checked the walls again. What had made the mirror fall?

~*~

Jemma sat back, defeated. "I guess we have to pay another house visit."

"Why?"

"The walls of their house are shaking so much that it's knocking things off the walls."

Fitz leaned forward, his chin in his hand. "And it couldn't be earthquakes?"

"We don't know," Jemma shrugged. "It could be deep underground tremors that make their way to the surface."

"Or it could be some kind of bug," Fitz offered. "It took Triplett a few weeks to secure that house. Maybe someone put something in the walls or in the plumbing."

"Maybe."

Exiting the car, Jemma and Fitz entered the house, and Donnie stood against the wall, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. Nodding his head backwards, the two passed him in the hall, making their way to the bathroom. "Are you wearing shoes?"

"Yes. Why?"

"When I put it back up, the walls were shaking so bad it fell off again. Except this time, it found a target, because it bashed Thalia over the head. It also shattered and I tried cleaning it all up, but there could still be shards on the floor. Be careful." He ducked into an open room, where he was busy tending to an unconscious teenage girl with a nasty bruise on her right temple.

Opening the cabinet under the bathroom sink, Jemma shined a light inside. And immediately spotted a small bump protruding off the U-bend. "Fitz?"

He bent down and plucked the item off, inspecting it in the light. Little hammer-like objects were set on the machine. "The bloody hell is this?"

"Not a clue." Fitz held it around the motor as the small machine started running, the small hammers moving up and down in their own rhythm. It ran for at most a minute, then immediately stopped. "Interesting."

"What is, Fitz?"

"I've seen the design somewhere before," Fitz muttered. Snapping his fingers, he muttered, "Give me a bit, I need to think."

"Take all the time you need," she replied, and sliding past him, she eased into the open room. Donnie hovered over Thalia's unconscious body, softly brushing hair from her temple. "Has she woken up yet?"

Donnie shook his head. "No. Not even a twitch."

Drawing her eyebrows together, she looked at the young girl's face. Besides the vicious purple bruise on her right temple, nothing looked out of the ordinary. Parting her hair, she checked all over her head. When her fingers came back spotted with red, she prodded at the left side of her head, coming back with more. "Did she hit her head on something else?"

"Maybe the door," Donnie shrugged. "I wasn't there, I couldn't tell."

"She done being upset?"

"We're getting there," he replied quietly. Cupping her face, his fingers traced over the bruise, and Jemma jumped away when Thalia's hand shot sparks.

"Does she do that to everyone while she's unconscious?"

"No, just me."

With her mouth slightly parted, Jemma gazed at the two in shock. Maybe it was just her, but the two seemed drawn to each other like magnets and were inseparable. Much like two incredibly powerful electromagnets. At first, she thought it was just puppy love (she hated saying that, but in his case it was a glove tight fit for the situation), and the way he was so oddly protective of her didn't help, considering her Asgardian lineage. But then the way she was so protective of him quickly changed her mind. It first occurred to her when they were all together on the Bus, and he had been messing with a blowtorch (as if she knew where he found one), trying to fix one of their malfunctioning circuits. Thalia was overseeing the repair, and when she started it back up, she pushed him out of the way and took the force of an electric shock. It was quite scary to watch, as the sudden absorption of energy stopped her heart long enough to make her hit the floor like a stone. Donnie immediately panicked, dropping to his hands and knees to see if he could help, and she resuscitated seconds later, perfectly fine. And later, they curled up in the van and fell asleep, his arms wound around her.

In other words, she wanted to kick herself for doubting Fitz about his so called "Soulmate Theory". His theory being that certain groupings of atoms, the "souls", met time and time again over the course of history. At first, she though it to be ludicrous; after all, none of it could be scientifically proven. But if she was to believe what she saw, then maybe she was crazy. Maybe...

Thalia moaned suddenly, her hand reaching up to touch her head gingerly. He moved his hand away, and she took his hand, placing it back on her head. Jemma wanted to smile, but Fitz called her back. "I know what it is," he told her victoriously.

"What is it?"

"A miniaturized, fully functional and remote control version of Nikola Tesla's earthquake machine."

"The man that came up with alternating current?"

"That'd be the one," Fitz replied. "Someone must be a clear genius. How did we miss this person?"

"Same way we missed Anna and Thalia."

Fitz shot a sour look at the floor. "Well, let's get this back and analyze it. Maybe Skye could figure out where the other end of this remote action is at."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Ian sat at his computer, scrolling through his contact list. Who could he call, who could he call...

One contact was lit up with a green light. Clicking the link, he read the brief message.  _You can thank me later that I still haven't moved, because guess who I found on my camera sweeps?_

A video came up, and clicking play, he was met with an empty bay window, the door left ajar. Something inside the room must have happened, and the door opened, Donnie blowing into the room and onto something under the window. His arm reached out, either supporting him or taking something in his hand. His mouth moved, but Ian couldn't hear words. He typed a quick message to the contact.  _What, no audio?_

A message came back seconds later. _Data corruption. Trust me, even if I could recover the audio, it's not worth listening to._

He shot back _Why?_

Continuing the video, Ian watched as Donnie talked with someone out of sight range; likely the person he was talking to was against the wall. Then the person revealed herself, sitting on the bed with her legs draped across his lap. Thalia? She sat and stared at the other wall, then she jumped, tossing her head back in laughter as Donnie tickled her. Even though he couldn't hear her talking, he knew she was saying she wasn't ticklish. She hadn't even as a child; Lorelei explained that she believed it was a sign of weakness, so she was particularly pleased when Thalia didn't inherit the trait. 

Then he kissed her unexpectedly, and Ian grew uncomfortable. He never bothered Thalia with the issue, why she had grown on Donnie, but he was genuinely curious. Why did she choose him? If anything, he was a little forlorn; he had never expected that, and it wearied him. What if Donnie got them both hurt? But so far, he'd kept her safe, or maybe she kept out of trouble. Either way, they deserved him staying out of their business. It was the least he could do.

Focusing his attention back on the video, he inwardly cringed at how nosy he felt. They had their foreheads pressed together, and then they were kissing like crazy, breaking apart for milliseconds before their lips found each other's again. Breaking away from her lips, Donnie kissed down her throat, his hand wrapping around the back of her knee and pulling it towards his hip.

A message blinked.  _I assume you know who they are?_

_Yep,_  Ian replied. _My girl and your wife's boy, am I right?_

_She had previous family, she told me. How ironic, running away only to face them. Ian, why do you think she never mentioned him?_

_Beats me. I'm more concerned as to what's going on between him and my daughter._

The message blinked one last time. _And you haven't even seen the good stuff yet._

Paying attention to the video, something happened between the two. Thalia had now moved away, and they were now arguing, except she kept flinching away from Donnie's touch. When he got close enough to touch her, sparks shot off her hand, and he flew backwards, hitting the opposite wall. She gripped the metal footboard and suddenly, clouds began swirling above their heads, snow falling on them.

Ian moved away from the computer.  _Thalia had ice powers?_  
~*~  
Holding an ice pack to her forehead, Thalia let the painkillers she had taken kick in. The throbbing pain in her skull slowly subsided, so she let some light into the room. Donnie bent down to look her in the eyes. Moving her hand, he lifted the ice pack, examining her temple. "That looks like it hurts," Donnie said softly.

She sighed. "It does."

As he traced the outline of the bruise, she winced, the lights suddenly seeming too bright. Closing her eyes, the lights dimmed, and Donnie looked up, standing. "Well, I'm gonna call Agent Simmons and see if she has anything in her magic med bag to help that along."

"I'm fine."

"Well, it's looking pretty nasty," Donnie pointed out. "And you can't even move the muscles on the right half of your face." Picking up his phone, he shot off a message. "She says we need to head on over. Full check up for both of us."

"Great," Thalia grumbled, pulling herself off the couch. Disappearing into her room, she came out a rough ten minutes later in sweatpants and a tank top with a knot in the back. "Let's go."

Grabbing the keys, Donnie made his way to the car when Thalia stopped. "Whoa! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm thinking I'm going to drive a car."

"Do you even have a license?"

"Do you?"

She simply huffed angrily, climbing into the car. Twirling the keys around his fingers, he climbed into the back, locking the doors behind him. "I'm not talking to you."

"This is going to get worked out one way or another," Donnie replied defiantly. "And it's going to get worked out before I move this car."

She blew out a puff of air, then sat back against the seat. "Go ahead," she replied sarcastically, waving a hand dramatically to urge him to begin.

"You know why I couldn't tell you?" Donnie asked quietly. "Because your dad asked me not to."

"I knew he knew who did it," she spat. "He would likely castrate the person that did it. But he wouldn't do that to you, would he? Because you were his little puppet, building his toys because he asked."

"No, he asked me not to because he felt sorry and didn't want to burden you with the idea that your only friend put you in the hospital." He looked down. "When you were in the hospital, he made me promise to be your friend, so you wouldn't suffer loneliness. He made me promise not to tell because--because..."

"Because why?" Her tone was acidic.

"Because he said he didn't want his daughter to suffer like he did." He looked up at her. "Never getting close to anyone because he worried that they'd always try to hurt you."

Her eyes were swimming. "Really?"

"Yeah." Donnie's eyes drifted over her bruise, which was fading rapidly. "He did."

"Damn this," she cursed, furiously wiping at her eyes and wincing when her fingers came into contact with the bruise. "Damn this all. Damn it all to hell. Why am I not allowed to think for myself? Why am I not allowed to decide what I want, what I feel? My dad's pissed because I'm in a relationship with you, my friends and protectors are people he tried to have killed. And I'm supposed to act like that's completely normal."

"My idea is that he wants you to stay with him by making the outside world out to be a dangerous place. And at the same time, be the alluring and mysterious daughter of a billionaire that has quite the buzz." She shot him an icy glare and he added, "Not that kind."

"Where do you think he is right now?" Thalia asked, concern showing in her delicate yet bruised features. "When we got out, we never went back for him."

"I'm sure he's perfectly fine, aside from being terrified that he can't track down his daughter." He inched closer. "But I can assure him that you're perfectly fine."

She pressed herself against the wall of the backseat. "I'm not kissing you. That may still take a while."

"Then don't kiss me," he said quietly, leaning in closer to her. "I'll just kiss you, and if you want me to stop, I'll stop."

"I don't really think that's a--" she fumbled with her words as he grew closer, "--a good idea..."

"Then say stop," he said almost silently.

 "Not yet," she said quietly. "We'll get there again, but not yet."

His lips moved up to her forehead, where he placed a soft kiss against her hairline. "That's okay, just... a little at a time."

"Okay," he replied, slipping into the front seat. "You know, I didn't actually text Agent Simmons. I just did that to get you in the car so we could talk."

"Nice to know," she replied, a soft smile gracing her no longer bruised features. "Can we go someplace?"

"Like where?"

"Anywhere," she answered. "Like the local high school?"

"Why would you want to go to a high school?"

"Maybe so we can rebuild the Blizzard machine."

"Why would you want to rebuild the Blizzard machine?"

"Because if it's original purpose was to snow, we can make a new version where it actually snows instead of raining snowball sized hail that can crack a windshield."

"Fair point," Donnie replied. "I think there may have been a malfunction with the reversal process."

"Then a high school filled with chemicals that can make fake snow can teach us what we'd need to make real snow. Besides using small electric charges to bond atoms together to make clouds." Thalia locked eyes with him. "And besides, I remember how you said you didn't go to high school very long and it'd be kinda like a field trip."

"A field trip to a high school?" Donnie laughed wryly. "That sounds like something homeschooled kids do."

"Except instead of homeschooled kids, we're two teenagers with at least one PhD for the each of us."

"Sounds fun," he said sarcastically.

"Oh come on," Thalia kicked the back of his seat. "What's the worst that can happen?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Looking over Fitz's shoulder, Skye watched as he disassembled the small tremor machine, pulling its hammers off. "There. Should be safe to track now."

"What's there to track?" Skye asked. "All it happens to be is a remote control function. You'd find the same thing in an RC car. I was thinking you could find out what kind of remote control car it came from."

"It isn't that easy," Fitz ran a hand through his hair. "I've never seen a remote control function like this in a car. It's got some kind of--some kind of..."

"Take your time," Skye said.

"It's got some kind of malfunctioning directional steering," Fitz ran his hand through his hair again. "I haven't seen this anywhere--wait. Ah!"

"What?"

"There was this remote control airplane a few years ago," Fitz started, "they got recalled because the directional steering kept malfunctioning and it accidentally killed this little kid. Give me a minute, I need to find out what it was called."

Rolling his chair over to Skye's laptop, he began typing, pulling up an article. She read it over his shoulder. "The new remote control airplane, known as the Glider, was recently recalled due to its faulty steering mechanism, which resulted in the death of little six year old Ryan Hearthrow." She squinted at the screen. "Wait a minute, he isn't related to Daniel Hearthrow, is he?"

"Yep," Fitz read off the screen. "His family attended the funeral. Buried January ninth of 2003. Also says Ian and Thalia Quinn were there."

"They were at his funeral? Why? She poisoned Daniel, why would she be at Ryan's funeral?"

"Also says in the days leading up to his death, a friend of Ryan's gave it to him. Never says who, but if I'm following your thought train, she was there because she gave the plane to him." Scanning the page, he clicked on another link. "Check this out."

"The home of billionaire Ian Quinn burned to the ground on the night of January eleventh, 2003 when a fire of unknown origins was started in the basement and quickly progressed to span most of the house. When the fire department arrived, the blaze was out of control, already claiming two lives in its path: Veronica-Marie Huntsman and Marie Hearthrow-Huntsman. Ian Quinn was found unconscious on the stairs, trying to get to Thalia's room. Both were touch and go for several hours, as Ian suffered extensive smoke inhalation and exposure to carbon monoxide, and Thalia wasn't found until after the fire had been out, suffering from smoke and carbon monoxide inhalation AND the mysterious inhalation of chloroform, which caused the young girl to go into respiratory distress. She was the first of the two to be transported to a hospital for treatment."

Skye paused for a few seconds. "So that's why everyone's so shocked to see her back. Everyone thought she was dead. Even Ian."

"Yeah, I suspected they thought that," Fitz replied. "They wouldn't have used her name otherwise. It's illegal to do that to a minor."

Skye scrunched her eyebrows together. "Now wait a minute, how was this a related link to Ryan Hearthrow's burial?"

"The fact that Veronica's mom had previously the last name Hearthrow until she left the relationship and changed her name back. Hence the hyphenated Hearthrow-Huntsman."

"This is all super confusing," Skye shook her head. "A machine that hurt Thalia, was from a plane, that she gave to the younger brother, of the boy she poisoned." She sectioned off parts of the sentence to prove her point. "Then, two days later, a house fire killed her 'stepmom' and 'sister'--"

"Why'd you use air quotes?"

"Because Marie never married afterwards. She stuck around to care for Veronica, who turns out wasn't related to Thalia at all. Anyways, fire kills her 'stepmom', who was married for a short time before divorcing and meeting Ian, and Daniel finds out. Bonus: he blames Thalia for his mom's death."

"Why would he blame Thalia?"

"Because his mom left his dad for a scientist. And she adored Thalia. Maybe even enough that she stayed behind with Veronica while Ian went to find Thalia. Noticing a pattern here?"

"So you're saying Daniel blamed Thalia for his mom's death because she sacrificed herself so Thalia could get out?"

"Exactly!" Skye pointed a finger. "And another little fun fact: Veronica was sick constantly. She had an autoimmune disorder which rendered her natural ability to fight off ailments useless. So, maybe Marie realized that Veronica would die anyways in the fire and realized Thalia stood a chance of making it out alive, so she stayed behind."

"Those are some serious accusations," Fitz said. "I suppose you have some kind of evidence to back up your many statements? You'd need to take it up with either Jemma or Thalia on that subject, because I can't really help you there. I know enough to keep up, not completely dive in."

"Right," Skye jumped up. "See ya."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback!


	17. A Slow Second Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's on time? Anyways, I may not update next week due to personal reasons, so if I don't, the wait for the next chapter may be a bit longer than usual.

"There's no backing out now," Thalia warned Donnie. "You sure you want to do this?"

He nodded. Then with a final flourish of a pen, she signed them in, taking their visitor passes from the secretary. "Why couldn't I sign for my own pass?"

"Because if I'm correct, you're wanted on escape from lockup, and I'd have to be twenty-one or older to bail you out," Thalia pinned his badge to his shirt. "So be thankful."

"It isn't thanksgiving yet, I have no need to be," he retorted, and she shot a glare at him, pinching him with the claw clasp. "Ow! Okay fine, thank you. Geez, that hurts."

Making a contented noise, she strung her pass around her neck, the lanyard an ice blue. "Come on, my friend who's a boy, let's get this show on the road."

"What?"

"You realize this school is full of catty teenage girls and horny teenage boys. We have to stick together. It's imperative I preach this."

"Why?"

"Because the last thing I want to do is have to punch someone because they can't keep their hands off."

"Of me or you?"

"Of both of us," Thalia answered with an  _it's completely obvious_ tone. "It's like the atmosphere of a public high school is already starting to lower your IQ."

"It is not, I was just stating a fair question," Donnie replied defensively. "It's like the atmosphere of a public high school is already starting to make you jealous."

"They aren't gonna touch what's mine, end of story." Pushing the door open and entering the hallway, she began speed walking while reading a map. "So, where to?"

He began moving to keep up with her frantic pace. "I'm sorry, I caught the part where you said they aren't going to touch what's yours. When am I property?"

"When you decided to kiss me." Entering the cafeteria, they took seats near the entrance. "So, is it boring?"

"Extremely," Donnie rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "I'm expecting a cat fight or food fight any second."

A bell rang, and teenagers flooded the room, filing into a disorderly line for lunch. "The noise is deafening," Donnie told her over the noise. "I can't believe it's this noisy."

"Did you expect it to be louder?"

As people began to sit down and eat, their eyes began wandering over to them, watching with interest. "Who saw the wicked car outside?" one teenage boy asked. His eyes drifted over them and he began walking over. "Um, hi."

"Hi," Thalia chirped, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table. "Can I help you?"

"A-are you new here?" the boy stumbled, and for a second, Donnie felt his blood simmer with the lingering once over the boy was giving her. But his gaze remained fixed on the center of the table.

"No, just looking around," she answered, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to the open space. "My boyfriend graduated early and thought we'd take a look around as a kind of field trip."

"Oh," the boy sounded shocked as he watched them intently, then moved away. Thalia sighed. "See what I mean?" she said. "These boys here have no manners."

"And I do?"

"You stay with me, of course you do. You'd have a broken wrist otherwise." Her eyes drifted over the crowd. "With the way these people are eyeballing us you'd think we came from another planet."

"Might as well be," Donnie grumbled, and Thalia pressed her lips against his cheek.

"A planet where nice guys get nice girls," her breath teased his ear. "There's a place I wouldn't mind living."

He felt his pulse pick up. "There might also be a place where things will happen if that keeps up."

"The janitor's closet?" Thalia faked a gasp. "And here I thought you had manners."

He laughed, pressing his lips to her forehead. "For you, my ice queen Khione, I do."

"You're not supposed to do that, y'know."

Looking up, an odd expression crossed Thalia's face as she surveyed the new student. A girl with pin straight brown hair was standing in front of them, her eyebrow raised in contempt as her dull hazel eyes watched them intently. "And what kind of a name is Khione?"

"Khione is a Greek goddess of ice and snow," Thalia informed her, "but my name is Thalia. May I know the name of the girl who thinks our business is her own?"

The girl curled her lip. "It's Tiffany."

"Well then,  _Tiffany_ ," Thalia enunciated her name, "you can stay out of my business. I'm not in yours and if you persist, you'll find I have a cold temper and my words do sting."

"You can drop the holier than thou act. You, Thalia, don't scare me."

"My 'holier than thou' act as you so eloquently put it--" she sat up straight, crossing one knee over the other, "--is due to my obviously higher intelligence. So, in the event of your enlightenment, I will not go into a battle of wits against an unarmed woman. Goodbye."

As Tiffany left, Donnie snorted. "What was that?"

"I deal with average people the same way most people of our IQ levels do: I don't." She stood. "So, care to roam the hallways, possibly pick open a locker?"

"You are a deviant," he laughed, standing and following her. At the first fork in the hallway, he said, "Why don't I ever see you like this? Witty and sarcastic?"

"Because you're on my level," Thalia replied.

"I can't get that on our level?"

"No," she paused. "Because you get my respect."   
~*~  
Skye clicked End Call on her phone. "Thalia's not picking up." She placed her phone on her lap. "Could you see if what I thought was true?"

"Well it does seem, for the most part, accurate," Jemma nodded. 

"But she wasn't supposed to exist in the first place."

"No, Thalia wasn't," She looked at Skye, who picked at a loose thread on her shirt. "What else did Thalia say?"

"Said there were drawbacks to being half. Messed with her real bad because she said couldn't have kids of her own." Skye looked down. "She could've made a good mom." Then she looked up again. "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Can--" Fitz burst into the room.

"Fitz, what's up?"

"Skye, I need to talk to you," he panted. "Now."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Sitting in the back of a classroom, Thalia and Donnie passed a notepad between each other.

Donnie wrote  _I have a question. Why are there classes in July?_

 _Students here take summer classes to get extra credits_ , Thalia answered.  _Ryan told me._

_When did you see him?_

_When you were busy making googly eyes at their shop class._

_Do you even know how long I've wanted to work with my hands on a project? Ages, Thalia. Ages._

_Oh boohoo_ , she wrote.  _You have plenty of chances to work with your hands at home. For example, rubbing my back or shoulders, maybe even my feet. Harder the better._

_I'll take that under consideration. Under the list of things to make you beg for mercy._

_Ooh, kinky. You know I don't swing that way._

_Then which way do you swing?_

_Why don't you find out?_

His pen hovered over the paper. As he contemplated a witty response, her sneakered foot rubbed against his. She leaned on him, shutting the notepad. As the teacher droned, he could feel her warmth soaking into his sweater. Pushing up the sleeves to his elbows, his phone began buzzing. Bringing it out, he checked the contact.

 _Unknown Number_.

The teacher looked up. "I assume you don't respect my class enough to keep phones put away."

"It's just my phone buzzing," he started to explain, but the teacher took it, answering the call.

"Who is this and why are you interrupting my class?" the teacher snapped.

"I would guess it's because I'm calling to inquire on my daughter's well being right now." The person on the other end sounded irritated. Donnie paled, knowing the person on the other end. "I suppose that might be why."

The teacher put the phone on speaker. "Who is this?"

"This is Ian Quinn, Thalia's father. Can I speak to her please?" Ian asked over the speaker, and many people went still. Then their eyes all focused on the dark haired, sleepy eyed teenage girl in the back of the room, resting her head on Donnie's shoulder.

"No, you cannot, seeing as you interrupted my class. Goodbye." The teacher ended the call, handing his phone back. "I don't want to see it out for the rest of class, young man. You may be visitors, but you do not interrupt."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied timidly, and she turned back to the front. Just then the bell rang, and everyone stood, gathering their things and leaving.

"I'm hungry," Thalia yawned.

"Subway?" he asked, and she nodded, smiling. Leaning in, she nuzzled the crook of his neck, placing a soft kiss on his pulse point. Tucking the notepad into her jacket pocket, she stood.

"I'm out to make you try pickles," she pointed out. "Go get the car. I'll meet you outside."

Exiting the room, she called out, "Don't forget Donnie, if you don't want to get in trouble during biology, remember the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell!" She snickered when he barked out a laugh, telling her to shut up. Sauntering upstairs to the office, she turned in their passes, exiting the room. Opening the doors, she held onto a handrail as she sped down the stairs. Slipping off the edge of a step, she fell forward against someone's chest. "Whoa!"

"Thalia, we meet again," Ryan teased. Righting herself, she thanked him quietly. "I have to go. Classes to go to."

Finishing her descent, she pushed open the doors in the cafeteria, standing outside near the picnic tables. As the car came up around the turn, her vision began to blacken around the edges. Gripping the edge of a table, she sat down, taking a deep breath. The edges cleared, and she stood, sliding into the car. Donnie looked at her with concern. "You okay?"

"Uh huh," she nodded, stifling a yawn. "I just need something to eat."

"Alright," he turned back to face the front. "We're going."

After Thalia fell asleep against her window, Donnie eased the car out of the parking lot, driving down the road to the sandwich shop they passed earlier. Parking safely in a parking spot, he took her hand, running his fingers along her palm. She yawned, and electricity danced up his fingers, making him jerk his hand away. Jolting upright, she looked around. "We're here?"

"Yeah," he replied quietly, taking the keys from the ignition. Both climbed out of the car, her sleepy form leaning on him. Entering the shop, they slid into a booth. "Okay, sleepyhead, take this," he pulled his sweater off, laying it on the table. "Did you bring your wallet?"

"I have my card, if that's what you're asking," she mumbled, sticking a hand into her shirt. She handed him a silver card.

"Where were you keeping this?" His fingers chilled the suspiciously warm card.

"In my bra, where else?"

"Thalia, I hardly believe you could keep that in your bra," he replied. "There's no room."

She laughed, burying her face into his sweater. "Now  _how_ did you get that assumption?"

"I let you borrow a shirt of mine from a while back, might have been my Strokes shirt, I don't know, but I feel something off and as I carefully sort, Triplett comes up behind me right as I discover one of your size 34B bras in my laundry. The man laughed and said I must have a serious problem."

"Can't imagine why he'd think that," she replied sarcastically.

"And then he accused me of doing rather unsavory things. Which were not true, at all."

"Aw, poor boy," Thalia smiled. "He thinks you kept my bra as a token." She looked up, a gleam in her tired eyes. "What for?"

"I'll go get the sandwiches," he muttered. As he stood in line for their food, he glanced at her sleeping form, slumped over the table. He smiled a little, watching her bunch up his sweater under her head. After waiting in line, he gathered their food, sitting next to her. "Hey, let's go."

Nodding, she stood. Going pale, she swayed, then collapsed on the floor. "Whoa, hey, what's wrong?"

Thalia mumbled, her eyelids fluttering. "I'm calling Skye," Donnie pulled out his phone, shooting a message to Skye.

"Has she taken her iron supplement?"

He looked up, and a woman stood over them. "What?"

"She's pale like that, she's anemic," the woman replied. "I'm a doctor."

"She forgot to take it this morning," Donnie lied. "I texted her friend, she's coming to take her home."

The woman bent down and took Thalia's wrist. Then she clucked her tongue. "She's got all the symptoms of it."

A black car came to a stop outside. Skye and Triplett jumped out, Triplett climbing into the car Donnie and Thalia were using. Skye entered the restaurant, helping Donnie move her to the car. "Come on you, you're due for a dosage."  
~*~  
"Well, the doctor was right," Jemma concluded. "Thalia is anemic. But I don't think this is something I can fix with an iron pill."

Skye looked at Jemma, who peered through a microscope. "Why?"

"Because the problem is fixing itself. Her blood is recycling its iron. The iron in her blood is human iron, but her blood itself is actually Asgardian. The blood overpowers the iron and eventually causes the iron to... I'm not sure corrode would be the right word, but her blood eventually causes the iron to break down and disintegrate. Then her body creates new iron. Perhaps this is another side effect of her lineage?"

"So she's got a rare form of anemia in which her the iron in her blood becomes too weak and has to be recycled."

"Rare?" Jemma looked up. "This is the first known case."

"Well then unheard of." Skye rolled her eyes. Exiting the lab, she heard a gasp of shock. Then laughter followed. Entering a spare room, she hung in the doorway. Donnie was perched at the foot of the bed, his face screwed up into different expressions. "What're you doing?"

"He's trying out pickles," Thalia answered, a broad smile on her face. "And his expressions are priceless."

He shook his head. "That is sour!" he exclaimed, biting into his sandwich. After swallowing, he cast a look at her half eaten sandwich. "You sure you won't eat some more?"

She nodded. "I'm just a bit--" a large yawn came over her, "--I'm just tired."

Sliding off the edge, Donnie got to his feet. Switching off the overhead light, he turned on a small lamp, illuminating the room. And then with finality, he wrapped her sandwich and tucked it into the mini fridge, shutting the door with a soft  _click_. "We'll let you sleep."

"Will you stay?" she mumbled, puffing her pillow up underneath her head. He nodded, and after getting Skye's nod of approval, he sat down next to her. She yawned, tucking her feet under her. "My chest hurts."

"It'll be over soon," he assured her. "What does it feel like?"

"It feels like someone jammed a needle full of dendrotoxin into my chest. But it's being burned off too fast, and I can't sleep. I'm just so tired..." she fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.

Looking at the wall, the lamp threw shadows in every direction. Holding his hand up against the lampshade, he made finger puppets. Childish, he knew, yet it was comforting to him. Reminding him of Thalia's childish endeavors. How could they be the same age yet she was much more... Youthful? It made him feel old and jaded.

Suddenly, he heard violin playing. Skye knocked. "Um, mind explaining?"

"Take flight."

"What?"

"'Take Flight' by Lindsey Stirling. Thalia listens to it."

"Well, it's playing all over base," Skye complained.

"I don't know what to tell you," Donnie shrugged. "Thalia does what she pleases."

"Well, she's asleep, how is she doing what she pleases?"

He shook his head, and a new song began. "Maybe she's using it to help her sleep."

Coulson's voice echoed over her comm. "Skye, I need you, Donnie and Thalia in my office. Now."

"On our way, Coulson." Skye looked up. "He wants you two, now."

~*~

Sitting in his office, Coulson stared at the computers, moving in hyper speed. File after file was brought up, tucked away, brought up and left on the screen. When Skye entered, Donnie entered some time later, lying Thalia down on the couch. "What is she doing?"

"What she's doing is hacking our systems," Coulson answered. "I don't know what she's looking for. I don't know what she wants. She isn't even letting me in the system. Worse than Stark."

Donnie studied the screens. "She's looking up the house fire. The one she disappeared from."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Donnie shrugged, "but each of those has the same date. January eleventh, 2003."

One file was left on the screen. "When S.H.I.E.L.D. investigated the fire, the only evidence of the fire left was a S.H.I.E.L.D. jacket insignia. Leading to believe someone within S.H.I.E.L.D. started the fire for unknown purposes." Coulson looked at Thalia still sleeping. "She wanted to know if we knew who started the fire."

She sighed contentedly, then turned on her back, yawning loudly. Propping herself up onto her elbows, Thalia blinked, staring at the screens. "Where am I?"

"We're in Coulson's office," Skye informed her. "What do you remember?"

"I fell asleep, and I was watching him study by a pool," Thalia answered. "Looking over this old notebook, years old. The spine was falling apart. Then I woke up."

"Who was in the computer then?"

The screens began to pixelate, the audio skipping. Each one, one by one, went black. Then they all showed the same message.

_You can't Hyde her from me forever._

Just as quick as they went black, they returned to normal. "Hyde? Who's Hyde?"

"I think this is the part where we leave," Donnie interjected. "We need to go to the med bay, Thalia. Agent Simmons may have your blood tests back."

Standing shakily, she rubbed her eyes, drawing the blanket tighter around her. Feeling his arm wrap around her, she almost cried out in pain, as every inch of skin ached and a deep soreness echoed through her bones and muscles. "Please don't touch me," she whimpered. "It hurts too much right now."

Immediately releasing her, they walked down the hallway, her steps causing waves of aches and pains to travel up her spine. Upon reaching the med bay a short time later, she collapsed on the bed in the corner, sighing in relief. Jemma looked up. "You're here! Okay, so I was wrong on my first conclusion of her condition. Her type of anemia can be aided with iron pills."

She came around the holotable, holding a sheet of paper in her hands. "And upon further inspection of my first claim, the iron pills prolong the life of her blood's iron so we don't have to go through this for a while."

"Does it happen often?"

"No, but it does cause mild discomfort because while the blood recycles the iron, it can't carry oxygen properly. So when the process is finished, she'll feel very achy and sore for a while." Jemma smiled assuringly. "Just the oxygenated blood filling your oxygen deprived organs and muscles."

"What helps?"

"Well, usually rubbing the pain out does it. Cold packs and heating pads also help. Pain relievers. That's all I can think of. I'm going to take this to Triplett so he can keep hold of it."

When Jemma left, Thalia rubbed her arm. "Well, you heard her," she said, pulling down the zipper on her jacket. "Rub my back please."

"You're very bossy," Donnie teased her, helping ease her jacket off. Underneath she wore a t-shirt, the front adorned with a dolphin like animal with a red tusk, its caption "Unicorns of The Sea" above and below the animal. "Interesting shirt."

"It's a narwhal," Thalia replied, rubbing her calves along her bent toes. "It's a whale. Lives in cold water and lives in pods of other narwhals." She looked up, turning to face Donnie. "How do they manage to live together and not stab each other with their tusks?"

"Only you would ask that kind of question," he replied, running his hand up her arm. "Where does it hurt?"

"Up here," she took his fingers and pressed them into the sensitive skin above her right elbow. "Then it goes up and under my arm and along my ribs."

"I'm sorry," he replied. Pressing a kiss to her hair, he lightly rubbed her upper arm. "It must hurt."

"Didn't you get shot or something?" Thalia asked. Moving up to her bicep, he rubbed too hard and she whimpered, tensing up.

"Sorry." He pressed another kiss to her head. Letting go of her arm, she laid down on the bed, rubbing her arm. She looked up at the ceiling, her gaze concentrating on some invisible point. "Thalia?"

"I want to go home," she pouted.

"Okay, let's go," he said quietly, leaving the room. Slipping her jacket back on, she stretched her legs, standing up and feeling more aches in her legs. Jamming her hands into her pockets, she was met with a plastic bag. Pulling it out, it revealed to be frozen red gummy bears. Popping one into her mouth, she smiled at the cold strawberry taste. Donnie poked his head back in, and feeling light, she raced over, pecking the boy on the lips. He smiled. "What was that for?"

"The gummy bears," she answered, practically skipping down the hall. Triplett held the keys in his hand.

"What did you do?"

"Placated the hormonal teenage girl," Donnie answered the older agent. "So the proper response would probably be 'thank you'."

The agent let out a breath. "Well, I gotta hand it to you. Nice work. Now let's get home."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Donnie?"

He looked up from his book on the couch, half expecting Thalia to be standing over him, asking him to rub the soreness away in her shoulders. But instead she was in the kitchen, peering at him through the nook. "Yeah?"

"Get your butt in here," she demanded. "I need your help!"

"What are you trying to burn this time?" he asked teasingly, pulling himself away from the couch and into the kitchen.

"Help me make dinner?" she asked, sitting on the counter. Donnie chuckled, permitting her to frown at him mildly while he pondered.

"I thought I did the cooking," he faked a hurt tone. "What have we become?"

"I've become someone who needs to learn to cook a little on her own," she replied. "I thought it'd be nice to return the favor for times down the road."

"So what do you want to make?"

"Lasagna." Thalia rubbed her hip. "I want to make lasagna."

"Well do we have everything here for it?" Secretly he hoped she would back down and compromise for something simpler.

But once again, he was wrong when it came to her determination.

"That's what the grocery store is for, Donnie." She jumped off the counter, sauntering into his room. Dropping to her knees, she swept an arm under the bed. Slipping on a pair of shoes, she tightened her sweater around her. "Well come on!"

"Fine," he huffed, slipping into his shoes. "Can't believe I gave up my book for this."

"Hey, you two!" Triplett hung in the doorway. "Take this with you." He handed her the paper given to him by Simmons. "She says it's a special kind of pill you need to get with prescription, so Skye managed to get this transferred onto an actual doctor's pad."

"I'll be nice and get you more books," Thalia chided Donnie, and he smiled teasingly, shaking his head and placing a kiss on her forehead. "There better be a lot of books," he whispered against her hair, and he felt her knuckles playfully hit him in the chest.

"Come on," Thalia pulled him out the door. "I need to get this prescription filled and I refuse to wait any longer for these damn pills."

"Touchy, touchy," Donnie climbed into the front seat of the car, starting the engine. He was about to add another comment when she shot him a steely glare and he closed his mouth. Tapping her feet impatiently against the floorboard, she practically leaped from the car in the parking lot. "Will you relax?"

"I need those pills!"

"Well, can't exactly get them without this," Donnie held her wallet in his hand. Catching up to her, he struggled to keep up as she sped through the store, stopping when she had finally dropped off the slip.

"Okay," she panted, "we need ricotta cheese, lasagna noodles and tomato sauce."

"We couldn't have had--"

"Don't say we could've had sandwiches because so help me God, if you do, I will beat the crap out of you. You need to learn responsibility and actually stimulate your brain and eat. And then do dishes and learn to do things that..." Thalia stopped when he began chuckling. "What's so funny, fishboy?"

"You are so bossy," he pouted, and she smiled amusingly, crossing her arms. "Why am I not allowed to think for myself?"

"I'm letting you keep your free will, but when you're left to your own devices, you don't challenge yourself. You were failing out of high school because you were bored, Donnie. I like to think I have the ability to challenge you."

"I have an IQ of 190," he retorted, "so show me how you..."

She stood on her toes, her fingertips skimming along his cheek. "Because now you have to wonder," she said, his hearing picking up the soft, almost inaudible notes of her voice. "If your reaction is because of some kind of hereditary sorcery or if it's simply because you cannot control yourself around the only girl who's given you time of day."

"'Cannot control myself'? How would I do that?"

"I think you know." She went back down to her feet, her eyes flitting down to read her list. "Well come on, we don't need to be breathing down these people's necks."

"Why do you play with me like that?" Donnie asked, despair in his voice. "I don't do that."

"Well your mother isn't a seductive psychopath, so pardon if it came out oddly."

"No, my mother was a landscaper!" he replied, pulling a can of tomato sauce off the shelf. "She designed--"

"I know what landscapers do, Duckie," she said absentmindedly. "Not that I don't respect what they do. It's just hard; imagine if your significant other only liked you because you were accidentally using magic on them."

"In your case, it's actually the ability to synchronize your brain's bioelectricity with someone else's and echo your thoughts into their brain so they're perceived as the person's own. It only took me a week or so to figure that out."

"So how'd you do it, Einstein?"

"When you'd get in trouble with Triplett, you'd always ask for him to go easy on you and he'd comply. No questions asked, he would just say 'go to bed and stay out of trouble'."

"Really?" she said, checking the aisle markers. Navigating her way to the pasta, she plucked a box of noodles off the shelf. "You can prove this how?"

"Just a theory," he shrugged his shoulders. "Wait a minute. Did you call me Duckie?" He tilted his head back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You got a 190 IQ, figure it out." Thalia walked down the aisle, leaving him at one end. He trailed behind her, thinking on her comment. "Donnie, what was your mom like?"

"She was kind of hotheaded, stubborn," he listed, watching her slowly walk to let him catch up. "Completely opposite of me, I suppose."

"No you're not," Thalia said quietly. She turned around, her hand finding his cheek. "As someone who's been in your proximity for close to five months, it's hard to imagine you as cold blooded. Figuratively speaking," she smiled. "If you asked me to tell you what you're like..." she looked at the floor and looked back up, letting out an airy laugh, "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Donnie looked down. "That's a bad thing, isn't it?"

"No, it's not," she shook her head. "It's a jumble of things, actually."

"Will I ever be able to untangle the jumble of things I am?"

"Eventually," she nodded. "Just not this second." Digging her phone out of her pocket, she glanced at the screen. "My pills are ready."

"You have Text Alert?"

"I didn't think I did," she raised an eyebrow. "Apparently I do."

Shifting the pasta, cheese and sauce in his arms, Donnie followed her to the pharmacy, where he waited as she picked up her pills. When she ducked into a separate aisle, Donnie approached the counter. "Excuse me, do you guys have a number on her account?"

"Name please?"

"Thalia Quinn."

"Date of birth?"

"November tenth, 1995."

"Let me see," the woman moved to a computer, her short blonde bob moving as she typed on the keyboard. "No, I'm sorry, there's no number for Miss Quinn's account."

"Thank you," he replied hurriedly, going after her. Searching the store, he found her exiting the doors, stopping at a movie kiosk. He came up behind her, tapping on her shoulder. She spun around, covering the kiosk screen.

"Donnie, what the hell!" She covered the screen. "It's supposed to be a surprise!"

"People here said they don't have your number," he told her.

"Car," she gave him the keys. "I'll finish this up."

When Donnie dashed out to the parking lot, she swiped her card through the scanner, collecting the movies from the kiosk. Meeting him out in the parking lot, she placed the bag in the backseat. Then a familiar voice called out to her. "Now that's no way to treat me, now is it, Thalia?"

She spun around. "Dad!" she exclaimed in surprise, wrapping her arms around him. Ian hugged her tighter, kissing the side of her head. "Oh my gosh, I missed you!"

"When I got out of that room in Brazil, you weren't there anymore and I tried everything. Eventually an old friend of mine told me you two ended up here." Ian peered around her to Donnie, who watched them with an unreadable expression. "But I've come to take you home."

"We..." she looked back to Donnie, then turned to face him. "We can't."

He gave her a curious look and a humorless laugh. "Why?"

"We've been placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. care," she replied quietly. A man approached the car.

"No, they can't do that," Ian grew frustrated. "You're eighteen, you have the right to choose."

"It was for her safety," Donnie said. "And mine as well."

"What are you talking about?" Ian looked like he was fighting to stay calm. Thalia had a sympathetic look on her face. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can't do that!"

"It's for our own good," she said calmly. "We're leaving."

"Sir, is there a problem?"

Ian looked at the man. "No there isn't. Thalia's being difficult."

"No, I'm not!" she replied. "I'm going home and that's that."

Climbing into the car, they put Ian into their rearview mirror as they pulled out of the parking lot. When they arrived home, Triplett opened the front door. "What's for dinner?"

"Lasagna!" Thalia held up the bag. Putting on a broad smile, she carried the bag and movies inside.

"How did you do that?" Donnie asked her later, helping her layer the pasta and fillings in a pan. "Switch from Ian to Triplett?"

"I don't know," she replied, sprinkling cheese on the top of the lasagna. "Maybe it came naturally?"

"Who knows," he shrugged, sliding the dish into the oven. "What movies did you get?"

"Now, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

"Oh come on," Donnie pleaded. "You know I don't like vagueness."

"Get over it," she told him. "Life lesson: you're gonna need to get used to vagueness from people. It's everywhere now, so get over it."

He sat down in a chair, and she set a timer. "We can't watch a movie?"

She frowned. "Well, I got a few. It wouldn't hurt to watch one." She picked up the movies, flicking through them until she saw something satisfactory. "Here.  _ParaNorman_."

"Ooh, sounds interesting."

Thalia smiled broadly, catching Donnie's sarcasm. "Yep, kid has to stop this witch from rising from the grave or else she'll condemn everyone to eternal damnation."

"That doesn't really sound like a kids movie."

"But then we aren't really kids, are we?" she said quietly, sliding the movie into the DVD player. "We're slightly indecisive adolescents."

"'Slightly indecisive'? Thalia, when given the chance of picking what we'll have for any meal of the day, you have a panic attack."

"Excuse me, in the hospital I wasn't  _allowed_  to pick what I wanted to eat, so it's a  _perfectly normal reaction_."

"Your reaction isn't perfectly normal," he remarked. "It's clinically psychotic."

"I'm clinically psychotic? If anyone sees what either of us could do,  _they'd_  be clinically psychotic."

"Fair point." He sat down on the couch. "Now, do you want to be not clinically psychotic and watch a movie with me or not?"

She ducked her head, a smile lighting up her face. "Why yes, my darling. I do."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, you big dork, don't get dramatic."

"You did not call me a big dork." Thalia leaped onto the couch, landing in a crouch. Donnie raised an eyebrow, his facial expressions otherwise blank. Crawling closer, he suddenly attacked her, pinning her against his chest. She fought against him playfully, stopping and lacing her fingers with his. "Fine. You win."

"I now mark my victim with a bite!" he exclaimed, and she turned her head to look at him. "What? Isn't that zombies do? Bite their victims?"

"You poor boy," she said, shaking her head. "You are so clueless."

"I know what zombies do, Thalia," he replied disdainfully. "They try to get your brains."

"But wouldn't you know, they're in your skull, not your body," she shot back sarcastically. "So wouldn't they try biting your head?"

"They don't. They'd try to get your brains by bashing your head in," he mused cautiously, and she nodded. "So you'd fight back."

"And then the zombie would bite you to try and make you stop, in the case they don't make a KO blow to the head."

"Morbidity isn't going to get you dates, Thalia."

"Why would I need dates when I have a boyfriend already?"

"I don't know, maybe so that we don't instill the idea in our very advanced brains that staying in and watching a movie is a good date."

"So what's your idea of one, smart-ass?"

"I always liked you for your braininess, so places that would compliment and reflect that."

"You may be a zombie after all," she remarked. "Liking me for my brains."

He groaned, much like a zombie, then playfully bit her shoulder. She gasped, a little from shock. Most of it from the way it so weirdly made her buzz with a kind of cold energy shooting through her veins.

And then he licked her. "Ew!" she screamed, wriggling in his grip. "Donnie, that's disgusting! Quit it!"

Wiping her skin with the sleeve of his shirt, he let her go to grab the remote, and she jumped up, turning off the timer and pulling the lasagna out of the oven. Scooping out two slices, she placed them in bowls. "Mister Triplett, dinner's ready!" she called, and he bounded into the kitchen.

"That looks amazing," he breathed, making himself a plate. "I'm gonna eat this in my room."

Carrying the bowls into the living room, she sat down and handed him a bowl. "Dinner and a movie? That sounds like a good date, doesn't it?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
_He sat at her bedside, watching her motionless form. Tubes ran along her arms, feeding her nutrients. Various wires hooked up to different monitors which read her heartbeat, the weak beat it was. From his vantage point, he could see the bandage edge, curling around her neck._

_He knew it was against the rules. Not to go and see her. Get his project done. Mister Quinn expressed insistently that the longer he wasn't getting it done, the more impatient he became. And yet, here he was, at one in the morning, watching her._

_Blinking blearily, he straightened in his chair. He leaned forward, taking a small strand of her hair in his hand. It was an inky black, a color he thought was weirdly fascinating. Then he put it back, tucking it behind her ear. Listening to the weak beating of her heart monitor._

_A strange noise left her lips, and her heart monitor began beeping faster. She began gasping for air, her eyes opening in panic. "Doctor Carroll!" he yelled, hitting the panic button for Carroll's pager. Looking back to the bed, she had gone motionless, all the monitors flatlining. He pressed the button many more times, shaking her unnaturally still body. "No, no, please no..." The doctor entered the room, two nurses following behind._

_"She's gone into cardiac arrest." Carroll barked to the nurses, and one disappeared, returning with a strange machine. Didn't Simmons call it an AED? "Set up that AED and get me epinephrine, now."_

_Mister Quinn entered not long after, his pajamas wrinkled and his face tired. "What's going on?"_

_"She's dying, quickly," Carroll answered, yelling "Clear!" and watching the machine discharge, trying to restart her heart. "Pulse?"_

_"None," the nurse said. "Charging, and clear!"_

_Another discharge. "Pulse?"_

_"None," the nurse replied. "Charging..."_

_Carroll moved the nurse's hand away from the machine. "Kathy, she's gone."_

_Donnie felt his heart stop. The girl laid on the bed, motionless, her face peaceful. "Call it."_

_"Time of death, 1:19 a.m.," Kathy announced solemnly. He felt rooted to his spot, watching in mute shock as Carroll's face fell._

_"I'm sorry, honey," she said to Donnie quietly. "We did everything we could."_

_He felt like a piece of him had just been ripped out of his chest, leaving him feeling hollow. Quinn shook him gently, and he realized then he was gasping for air, trying not to break down. "Donnie, come on."_

_"No."_

_"Donnie, let's go." Quinn snapped. "She's dead, there's nothing else I can do."_

_Turning towards the door, he heard an isolated beep. Then another. Turning back towards the room, he saw her fingers moving, and the pulse monitor began to glow red on her finger. "Mister Quinn!" Donnie shook him, running back to the bed. "Mister Quinn, she's alive!"_

_"Carroll, she's breathing," Kathy announced. "She needs an oxygen tube to stabilize her breathing."_

_Donnie felt his heart soar, and he let out a huge breath. Her eyelids began fluttering, then settled. She whimpered in pain. "Donnie, turn the dial up on her morphine meter."_

_Slowly turning the dial, her expressions softened, eventually easing her back into sleep. Taking her wrist, the monitor he created released another small dose of his blood into her bloodstream, and she relaxed even more, allowing Kathy to fasten an oxygen tube under her nose. "Donnie, get to bed," Quinn ordered. "She's fine now."_

_"I'll take care of her," Kathy assured him, leaning over and brushing dark hair from the girl's forehead. "You can go sleep now."_

Turning his head side to side, he roused himself. The room was dark, credits rolling on the screen. His and Thalia's bowls were laid out on the low coffee table, stacked together. Pushing himself into an upright position, he turned off the tv, picking up their bowls and moving them to the sink.

"You're awake?"

He turned, and Thalia stood in the beam of light from the hall. Approaching him, the hems of her pajama pants drifted along the floor, and she clutched a shirt in her hands. "Yeah, just woke up. What time is it?"

"A little past eleven," she answered, turning on the kitchen light. Now that he could see better, her pajama pants were adorned with small cups and snowflakes, the shirt having the same design. "Help me clean up?"

Silently, they began to clean the kitchen, placing the lasagna in the fridge. "Do you think they'll fade?"

"What will?"

"My scars," Thalia answered. Her fingers ran along the skin underneath the underwire of her bra, absently rubbing the crescent shaped patches of skin on her ribs. "How old do you think they are?"

"The scars?" He bent down to look at them. "They look at oldest a year or two old. They're pretty fresh."

She turned around, wiping down the counters. He wrapped his arms around her stomach, rubbing his fingertips up and down her bare skin. He felt a shiver run up her spine, and she turned back around, her eyes meeting his hesitantly. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he replied, his eyes drifting down to her shoulder. A familiar indention where he playfully "attacked" her earlier was still there, and now lightly bruising. "Did I hurt you earlier?"

"No," she answered. "Why?"

"Because it's bruising," his fingers brushed against her bare shoulder. "What, no straps?"

"My shoulders ache with the weight of a thousand pounds," she said. "So I go with strapless bras until it stops."

"Why wear them at all if it hurts so much to wear?"

"Yeah you're not getting that lucky, Donnie," Thalia laughed, slipping on her shirt, which was really a tank top with a Dairy Queen cup on it, reading "Bring your own Blizzard". "I have to go to bed, have a big event tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yep," Thalia bobbed her head up and down. "Ryan is having a friend's birthday party at his house, and I have been invited."

"Oh right," he shook his head. "Forgot."

"Goodnight," she muttered, disappearing into the hall. When he finished cleaning up, he shut off the lights, leaving to his room. Falling into bed, he stared at the ceiling, letting his vision blur until he fell asleep.

_Visiting her room the next morning, his face fell at the sight of her. She was hooked up to a vent, Kathy jotting down notes as she read from the monitors. "What happened?"_

_"She's got a whole new set of problems," Kathy answered. "Somehow she forgot how to breathe and couldn't figure out how to do it again. So when I got up this morning, Carroll ordered I put her on a vent. She's doing significantly better, so doctor's thinking that she can get off it by day after tomorrow. Little Thalia here is doing better."_

_"Thalia?"_

_"Yeah, I thought that Jane was a bit worn out and Mister Quinn says she looks someone he knew whose name was Thalia, so I just call her that." Kathy's lips quirked up into a smile. "She's a fighter; she's lucky you were there."_

_The girl that Kathy called Thalia began turning her head side to side. "Okay, honey, calm down," Kathy soothed her, adjusting the different monitors and drips. "Another problem is that she's somehow able to resist the drugs we're putting in her system. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep upping the dosages before she accidentally ODs on the drugs."_

_Sitting in the chair next to her bed, he took her wrist, looking at the interface of the wrist monitor. "This isn't helping?"_

_"What is it doing?"_

_"Dispensing a special drug into her bloodstream so she'll stay under." Donnie stood, inching closer to her. "It should dose her again any moment."_

_A quiet vibrating began in the monitor, soon stopping as it injected the "special drug" (unknown to Kathy it being his blood and all) into her veins with a soft hiss. She moaned softly, a sigh escaping her lips as she settled back into the bed. "That's a good girl," Kathy praised her, adjusting the various drips hanging from their stand._

_"How's her neck?" he inquired timidly._

_"It's healing quite nicely," Kathy nodded her head. "Whatever you're giving her must also be helping."_

_"Miss Dollanganger, is Donnie in there?"_

_Kathy reached for her walkie talkie. "Yeah, he was helping adjust some of Thalia's monitors."_

_"Well Mister Quinn wants him in the lab immediately," Carroll said._

_"You heard the lady," Kathy replied. "Boss needs you."_

_Heading down the hall, Mister Quinn stood outside the lab door. "I thought we agreed you'd be getting your work done."_

_"I am," Donnie said defensively. "I was just checking on her and Kathy needed help adjusting her drips and monitors."_

_"Work on the project, Donnie." Ian's expression went stern. "My friend is getting quite impatient with the lack of progress getting done. And if you fall behind any more, they might just pull the plug on your little charity case in a coma."_

_"Which begs the question. Kathy said you called her Thalia. Why?" Donnie crossed his arms, squaring his gaze with Ian's. "Maybe the personal embellishments upon my 'charity case' means you're attached to her."_

_Before he could open his mouth, Carroll approached them. "Ian, the blood tests came back."_

_"And?"_

_"I think somehow the tetanus from that metal was still in her bloodstream and paralyzed the movement of her diaphragm and lungs." Carroll looked down at her folder. "I wanted to know what you want to do next."_

_"Run another blood test, see if the same results happen." When Carroll left, Ian's sharp blue gaze pierced Donnie's. "Don't think for a second I care any less than you do. Imagine what would happen if this got out. You killing a teenage girl would put you back on their radar. And then with me shielding you from the public, I'd be implicated in her demise." When Donnie didn't fire back a response, Ian continued. "So think about what you're going to say before you say it. I'm rushing you because my friend will pull her plug if this doesn't get done. And seeing as they've now heard she had to be put on a vent and is on a number of medications just to keep her alive, all they'd have to do is shoot an air bubble into her bloodstream if you screw up. So think about her. If you care so much about her, get back to work."_

His eyes shot open, frantically scanning the room. The doorknob turned, and Thalia poked her head in, sliding in through the narrow opening in the door. "You okay? I heard you talking in your sleep."

"What was I saying?"

"I don't know," Thalia replied softly. "You were making a lot of weird sounds, too. Like gasping for air."

"I'm sorry," he yawned. "Was it scaring you?"

"Would I be here if it wasn't?"

Looking up, she leaned against the wall, her familiar Snow White robe covering her shoulders. Climbing out of bed, she moved away from the wall, sitting next to him. Before either said anything, he scooped her into his arms, squeezing her tightly in the strongest hug he could muster up. She hugged him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "We all have bad dreams, Donnie."

"I know," he whispered into her silky black hair. "But they haven't been as bad as yours."

She made a soft noise in her throat. "Don't say that. They are every ounce as scary as every other bad dream. They're all in our heads, conjured only because we want clarity. We warp them, change them until we believe it's our worst nightmare. But it's all in our heads, and nowhere else."

"You're awfully sagacious for what feels like--"

"It's five in the morning."

"Really?" He looked up, finally seeing the alarm clock. "It's too early. To be thinking things like that."

"Remember when we had a conversation that revolved around things that were 'too early'?"

"I'd like to have the conversation where I go back to bed," he said in reply, burying them both underneath the sheets and blankets. Donnie looked down, watching in fascination as Thalia's eyes drooped further and further down until she fell asleep, her arms and legs still entangled with his. Her warmth soaking into his skin and the area around him made him fall back asleep; but the thought occurred to him right as he fell asleep that it was ridiculously easy to fall asleep in each other's presence.  
~*~  
"Let's move!" Donnie called outside the shower door. "I need to get in the shower sometime today, Thalia!"

"You can't rush perfection, Donnie!" she replied, rinsing the conditioner from her hair. He scowled, and she laughed, which made him scowl deeper. "I don't rush myself when I get clean."

"I can freeze Perfection's water if she doesn't get a move on," Donnie threatened.

"Ooh, so scary," she taunted from inside the shower. "I can short out Impatient's alarm clock if he doesn't get off my ass."

"I can fix it."

"Then I guess we're at a standstill, aren't we?" She shrugged a shoulder. "Besides, if you're that impatient, why don't you join me?"

He choked. "Only if I don't come out smelling like Herbal Essences."

"Such a shame, Duckie," she pouted. "I was looking forward to the company."

"I was looking forward to the solitude."

"Ouch," she said, shutting off the water. Grabbing her towel, she wrapped it around herself, wringing out her hair and climbing out of the shower. "There. Shower away."

"Don't get sarcastic with me, Thalia," he replied, bumping his shoulder against hers. "And don't forget to take your pill."

"Fine, fine, fine, I will," she grumbled. Trudging into the kitchen, she snatched the bottle from off the counter, shaking a single pill into her hand. Taking it dry, she headed back to her room, throwing on a pair of shorts and a random shirt. She hummed a song while she trotted back into the kitchen, sitting down at the table and eating a bowl of cereal. Minutes later, Donnie emerged from the bathroom, sitting down opposite her. "That was a short shower."

"I didn't shower," he said matter-of-factly, getting up to pour himself a cup of orange juice. "I needed my lava soap from inside the shower."

"Lava soap? Care to explain what that is?"

"It's a special soap I use to get grease, oil, or basically anything off my hands." Before speaking any more, he downed the drink in one gulp. "It's also good for cleaning out cuts if you don't mind feeling like you're on fire."

"Sounds fun," she suddenly stopped eating, her spoon hovering over her cinnamon toasters. "Wait a minute, this was in the shower? You  _shower_  with that soap?"

"Occasionally."

"I couldn't even imagine doing it once," she shuddered, scooping cereal into her spoon. "But doing it multiple times..." she visibly cringed. "Something's wrong with you."

"My girlfriend confirming what we already know," he made a grand sweeping gesture to her with his hand. "The super genius."

She scowled, but otherwise returned to her meal. "I can put you under the mentality that I am your queen and ruler."

"You already are."

"I am not," she replied defiantly. "Not that I'd ever do that."

"Get inside my head?"

"Like I said, I don't want people to like me simply because I use my powers on them."

He guffawed. " _That's_  pretty noble."

"What time is it?" Thalia asked, adding her bowl to the sink.

"Can't be past eleven in the morning or so."

"Damn it, I'm running late." She jumped up, heading to her room.

"Running late for what?" Donnie called. "That party isn't until tonight."

"Well I have a thousand things to do," she hastily explained. "So no time for screwing around."

"Who's going to take you?"

"I'm walking down to Ryan's house and he'll take me where I need to go."

"Why is Ryan taking you?"

"Because he just is," she said with finality. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're jealous that another boy is taking me out."

"Maybe I am."

"Now who's being petty?" she teased. "I'll be fine."

"He's shifty."

"Any boy I contact that isn't you is shifty." She smiled. "Here. I'll give you his address. That way, if I don't want to stay anymore, you can come and we can go home."

Pressing a piece of paper into his hand, she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a short, sweet, chaste kiss. She pulled away before he could react. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asked, his blue eyes darkening as his pupils dilated.

"Almost," she replied. "Be good and I'll give you another one when I get back."

"What? I've been good."

She snickered. "My definition of good."

"You have unrealistic standards," he grumbled. She ruffled his hair.

"Aw, have faith," she pouted her lips in a teasing manner. "I'll be back this afternoon."

"Fine. Keep your phone on you."

"Don't I always?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Skye sat in the lab with Fitz. "And you're absolutely positive that this is true?"

"Yeah," Fitz ran a hand through his hair. "The computer isn't picking up a single teenager named Ryan living in a square block of where they are."

Skye frowned. "What about school rosters?"

"I don't think we should risk getting in trouble over trying to hack a school system for their school roster."

"Then we won't." Pulling out her phone, she dialed a number on the screen.

"Everdale High School, how may I assist you?"

"Yeah, my younger sister has told me that there's a kid named Ryan that lives close to her that keeps harassing her. I didn't want to involve his parents, so how can I contact him?"

"What's his last name?"

"I don't think she knows. But I know what he looks like. Would that help?"

"Sure. What does he look like?"

"Um," Skye pulled up Ryan's picture. "He has short, dark hair, I wanna say like the color of dark chocolate; hazel eyes, about five foot ten. Does that narrow it down?"

"I got a few boys like that. There's Marcus Waywright, Dillon Winchester and Daniel Hearthrow. No Ryan. Sorry."

"Thanks," Skye hung up. "Fitz, this is bad."

"What is?"

"Remember when Coulson told us about Thalia as a little kid? Thalia poisoned a kid named Daniel Hearthrow because he hit her. Then while he was in the hospital, Ryan, his little brother, was killed by a plane that Thalia gave him. A kid like him would have a serious axe to grind with her if she did those things."

"But she did do those things."

"We have to warn Donnie," Skye called his phone. "Tell him to keep her away from him at all times." After several recalls and a few voicemails, she tossed her phone to the table. "Damn it Donnie, answer your phone!"

"Maybe he's busy, or his phone is dead."

"Yeah, no. If Thalia emits what the energy readings are picking up, his phone isn't going to be at 'Low Battery' for a while."

"Call Triplett and tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"Jesus!" Skye jumped. "What are you doing here?"

"You guys said you needed me."

"No, I never called." Skye shooed him away. "Go home."  
~*~  
"I hope you know just because I'm an engineer doesn't mean I'm your personal handyman." Donnie cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear as he tightened a screw in the thermostat. "Okay, try it out now."

The lights flickered briefly, then the air conditioning kicked in. "Thanks, kid."

"I'm not a kid," Donnie grumbled.

"You're younger than me, you're a kid. End of story."

"Well, Agent Triplett, if you don't mind, I'm going to wash whatever this off." Donnie gestured to the mess on his shirt. "So if you'll excuse me."

"Skye's been calling you."

"No she hasn't." Donnie checked his phone screen. "Says no missed calls."

"Well, she's been trying to get ahold of your delinquent butt. And she's kinda like your parole officer; she stood up for you, kid. So I'd find out why her calls aren't showing up or I'd pick up the phone and call her."

"I'll find out later. Right now, I need a shower."

"I'm gonna go into town," Triplett said, exiting the house. Pulling his shirt off, he brought the front to his nose, examining the strange fluid. Taking it out to the back, he sprayed off the shirt, wrung it out and brought it back inside, tossing it in the washer.

"Donnie, I'm back!" Thalia called. When he laid eyes on her, she smiled. "I told you I'd be fine, didn't I?"

"Why must you always say 'I told you so'?"

"I'm just saying I'm fine." She dragged a bag towards her room. "I'm gonna be here awhile, so you can lay your eyes on me until I leave."

He smirked, pulling on a new shirt. Opening the bag, she pulled out a slinky red, black and beige dress, which earned a curious stare from Donnie across the hall. "You're wearing that to the party tonight?"

"You mind your own business, Donnie," she snapped. "And yes, it is what I'm wearing," she amended, pressing it against her front. "Do you like it?"

"Well, it's not me you're dressing for," he snorted. She shot a glare at him.

"Fine, be a pain in the ass," she muttered, shutting the door with her foot. Slipping out of her shorts and shirt, she shimmied into the dress. It's Aztec pattern blended the colors together into geometric shapes. In the mirror, it made her look  _taller_. Something she was particularly proud of. Opening the door, she held her hair. "Donnie, up or down?"

He turned and the look in his eyes made her stomach flutter. "Um d-down," he stuttered, and her jaw unhinged a fraction. "It looks-- it looks better down."

"You have a stutter!" she said in surprise. "Donnie, you have a stutter, that's so adorable!"

"How is having a stutter adorable? It makes me feel childish."

"And now you don't, so can't be a bad one," her lips pouted a little. "Just when you're trying to stay calm and fail terribly." She smiled. "Donnie, do I make you nervous?"

"Thalia, you're asking unfair questions," he sounded nervous. "You always make me uncomfortable."

"Good uncomfortable or bad uncomfortable?"

"Couldn't you poke around my head and find out?"

"I'm not telepathic, Donnie; it's telepathetic anyways. Now quit changing the topic." He didn't answer. "Fine. I see how it is."

"Thalia, I'm five foot eight and weigh less than two hundred pounds. Sarcasm is my only defense."

"The ice can be a defense."

"No," he shook his head. "Only in emergencies," he amended. "A 'break glass in case of emergency' type thing."

"Well, your 'break glass in case of emergency' situation is the reason I'm alive."

"I know," he replied. Running his fingers through her hair, his hand cradled the back of her head, his other arm winding around her waist. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he felt Thalia place her hand on his chest. "I know."

Tilting her face up, she brushed her nose against his jaw. "Then why are you so scared of it?" she asked quietly. He looked down, and she kissed him. Now that he was more aware, he tightened his arm around her waist. How much he was holding back astounded her; he somehow maintained perfect balance that didn't lead either of them into insanity.

Lightly pushing him away, she let out a silent exhale, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her dress. "It reminds me too much of Seth," he answered. "We were building the machine, making me think he was my friend. And when it was destroyed and he died, it was like the world went dark and it was my fault. Like it was my fault he died. Someone I thought was my friend." He looked down, a pained expression on his face. "Maybe I still do."

"I know I can't provide any personal experience," she said knowingly. "And I don't think having more sage than Iron Fist is gonna help here."

"I fell to low places," he admitted. "It was a tough time afterwards. I always thought that if I died it'd even out in the end."

"It doesn't work that way, Donnie." She took his hand, rubbing the inside of his wrist with her thumb. "It never does."

"You know what works the same way, each and every time?" he asked. "Clockwork. Always ticking, each part working in sync with the others; maybe that's what I'll end up like, ticking away until the gears stop turning."

"With no one to help fix you?"

"Why would I need help fixing?"

"Everyone needs help being fixed. Otherwise you stop working."

"I thought we agreed our conversation wasn't the place for your sagacious sayings."

"Oh, yes, me saying you need someone to keep  _you_  in line is  _so_  sagacious." She snorted, pushing him back. "Get over yourself."

"And you think you're that person?"

"Maybe I am."

He placed his arms on either side of her head. "How can you be so sure?"

"Takin' it on faith, I guess," she gulped. "You know, it's really hard to stay mad at you when we keep doing things like this."

"We aren't doing anything," he replied. "Not unless you want to." Smiling, he added, "And I love how you blame both of us for this."

"As if it's not both of our faults?"

"I never said it wasn't," he chuckled. "You tend to pick everything apart."

"And you tend to over analyze."

"That's the same thing," he replied with a deep stare. Leaning in closer, she giggled. "What?"

"We're moving too fast. I'm a nice southern girl, you'll make me untidy," she drawled in a Georgia Peach lilt. The comment caused him to back up.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying, bank's closed. You got your kiss. Don't go badgering me for anymore."

"Fine. Go get dressed."

"I am dressed."

"More than so." He traced the neckline. "You look like someone to throw in a claw foot tub and have their way with."

"Jokes: swingin' and a-missin', Donnie," she patted his shoulder. "Nice try."

Ducking under his arm, she shut her door, checking the clock. "Four thirty-seven," she muttered. Tugging the dress over her head, she righted the fabric, laying it out on the bed. Grabbing her lotion, she smoothed it over her legs and feet, rubbing her heels and soles. She dedicated what felt like a half hour to rubbing lotion into her skin, then stood and slipped back into the dress, slipping her new shoes onto her feet. Checking the clock again, she picked up the bag of makeup from next to her bed, silently slipping into the bathroom.

Peeking from his room, he looked at the closed bathroom door. Grabbing his phone, he knocked on the door. "Thalia? Can I have your help with something?"

"What's wrong?"

"Well, Triplett said Skye was trying to call me, but none of her calls or voicemails are showing up."

The door opened, and she took his phone. "Did you check to see if anything was on?"

"Yeah, no."

"Well the Do Not Disturb mode is on," she replied, clicking a button on the screen. "That oughta do it."

"Thanks." He backed away as the door opened. "Are you done?"

"Yeah. How do I look?"

Once again, he was in one of those rare moments where she was absolutely stunning. Her dark eyes were lit up, her lips a light pinkish red and her cheeks had a little color in them. "Wow."

"Is it too much?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Damn it, I knew it was too much; it's the eyeliner, isn't it?"

"No! You're beautiful," he quickly replied. "It just took me a while because... you're just wow."

"Really?"

"Thalia, you are a half-Asgardian piece of art."

"Wow, thanks." Thalia's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"A piece of art that is absolutely stunning and going to be late if she stalls anymore." He glanced at his phone. "Another ten minutes and you'll be late."

"Crap!" She took off her shoes and raced to the door. "I'll see you later, Donnie!"

When the door shut, he padded to the kitchen, microwaving a slice of lasagna. While he ate, he opened Google Maps, entering Ryan's address into the top. A pinpointed location came up, reading his house to be a twenty minute walk away. The screen went dark, and a call lit up, so he slid his finger across the screen. "Hello?"

"Donnie?" A man said his name cautiously.

"Who is this?" Donnie asked, moving his phone away from his ear. The only clue he had was a phone number.

"You sound so much older than when I last heard you," the man said slowly. Peering at the phone number again, the pieces came together.

"Did Miss Stohl give you this number?"

"How else could I talk to you?" The man sounded desperate. "We haven't talked since you left."

"There's probably a good reason why," Donnie spat. "My dislocated shoulder is a good start."

"I'm sorry."

"That's about a while too late, Father," he snarled, venom dripping from his voice. "I've moved on."

"Donnie, please--"

"Goodbye." He clicked the disconnect button and slid the phone across the table, standing and locking himself in the bathroom. Pulling his shirt off, he inspected his shoulder. There was a small mark where he was shot in the shoulder, making his whole arm feel sore.

Shaking it off, he stripped down and jumped in the shower, scrubbing himself clean until he felt rubbed raw. Then blasting himself with cold water, he jumped out and dried himself before he could feel the stinging effect set in. Changing into his pajamas, he heard his phone vibrating. Picking up the phone, he snarled, "I said don't call this number again."

"Just who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

"Sorry Skye," he apologized. "My dad just called me out of nowhere--"

"That's not the point. Where's Thalia?"

"She left a little while ago, went to a party."

"Is Ryan gonna be there?"

"Well yeah, he's hosting it."

"No, no, no, no, no, you need to go get her, now. He's gonna hurt her, Donnie, you need to bring her back now."

"Why?"

"When she was a little kid, she got even with him when he hit her and he wants payback."

"But that happens all the time--"

"Not when she puts him the hospital for it!" Skye barked. "And then his little brother died when he was in the hospital and blamed her for it, so he wants to get her alone so he can get even for hurting them. Now go find her, now!"

"His house is twenty minutes away."

"You go on ahead, we'll gather the troops. Hurry."

Hanging the phone up, he raced out the door, running down the sidewalk as fast as he could. Sharply turning at Walker Street, he scanned the house numbers. 1987, 1985, 1983...

Stopping at 1981 Walker Street, he ran through the open door, his eyes scanning the crowd for her familiar dark hair. People filtered in and out of the living room, congratulating a girl for her eighteenth birthday. The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air, and his head began to pound, so he began pushing through the crowd, seeing the open back door. But the crowd pushed back, and he attempted again to make his way to the back door.

Until a scream tore through the air. "Someone call 911!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to screw with anybody that reads this the next chapter is: Gods Save The Queen  
> I love comments and feedback!


	18. Gods Save The Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recognize the reference of argenteum as an element of the Witches of East End story (which also includes Asgardians who can be poisoned by the substance, hence the ref) and leave the rights of that to Melissa de la Cruz. Except for that, I believe everything else is my imagination and Marvel. 
> 
> A fun fact I learned (not while writing this) was that Thalia isn't the first Human/Asgardian hybrid but rather the second (that I could find), the first being one named Agamemnon who was a half-breed of Loki. One last thing, the personal reason that I thought would prevent me from posting only postponed it, so the wait is only six days instead of seven again!

Skye gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles were white, pulling the car to a stop outside the house Donnie texted her about. Jumping out of the car, Coulson and the team tailed behind her into the house. People parted to make a path for them, pointing them in the right direction. "Where?"

"Backyard," a girl replied, holding a birthday candle. Skye pushed through the crowd until she reached the door. They all piled out onto the back patio, searching between the bamboo gardens for Thalia or Donnie.

"Coulson."

He followed Jemma's voice until he stumbled into a small garden. She sank to her knees, staring blankly into the water. Donnie held Thalia in his arms, each little movement causing water to spill from her mouth. Ryan stood off in a corner, muttering, "It was an accident, it was an accident..."

Coulson stood straight, glaring at Ryan. "What was an accident?"

***

_Sometime earlier..._

Knocking on the door, Thalia waited patiently until the door opened. Ryan greeted her from the other side, a broad smile on his face. "You came!"

"Well duh," Thalia's lips twisted into a crooked half smile. "I had to get Jessi's present."

"You got her a present?" Ryan's mouth gaped. "You didn't have to do that."

Thalia lifted a small jewelry box. "Do you think she'll like a Dalla Nonna necklace?"

"Those things are crazy!" Ryan opened the box. A small calendar with the month of July on it hung off its chain. The thirty-first was circled, indicating her birthday. "Where did you get one?"

"I got one off the website."

"Yeah, but those things are seven hundred bucks a pop. How did you get the money for it?"

"I have my ways," she replied mysteriously, entering the house. A girl stood in the middle of the living room, tuning a violin.

"Jessi, this is Thalia," Ryan introduced the two. They shook hands.

"You play?"

"Yep, since I was seven," Jessi replied, propping the end of her violin under her chin. "He's been to every one of my recitals. Between us, I think he has a crush on me." She turned to Ryan. "You never told me you invited a celebrity."

"Excuse me?"

"Thalia as in Thalia Quinn? Ian Quinn's daughter?" Jessi lowered her violin. "Oh you're kidding. You didn't know?"

"That explains the extravagant present," he grumbled.

"You got me a present?"

"That's for later," she said quickly. Teenagers came in from the front door, holding a box.

"Here's the cake!" a teenage boy called, placing it delicately on the coffee table. Jessi blushed, tucking her violin away. "Just like you asked for, man."

"You guys don't have to do this."

"As the valedictorian of our class and a friend of everyone, we do," Ryan replied. "So Jessi Rivers, happy birthday!"

Plenty of teenagers cheered. Music played, and people began going up to Jessi to congratulate her. They unboxed the cake, and it stood three tiers high, decorated with sheet music, A pluses and a standing violin on the top. She covered her face with her hands, and people lit the candles.

"I'm going to say I don't want people to sing," she said politely. "It might mess up my hearing aids and my mom doesn't have enough money to get any more."

After everyone paid respects, she blew out the candles in an impressive gust of air. When the candles were out, people came forward with their gift. It took Thalia little effort to keep track of all the gifts given: gift cards to Jessi's favorite music store, new violin strings, sheet music, clothes, jewelry and money.

"I don't think I can handle anymore extravagance," Jessi beamed. "Oh Thalia, you said you had a gift."

"Here." Handing her the box, Thalia watched her face light up as Jessi opened it. "I hope you like it."

"Wow, this is amazing," she breathed. "These are a fortune."

"Have a happy birthday," Thalia said, picking up a slice of red velvet cake. Sitting on the arm of the couch, she took a bite of cake, licking the frosting off her lips. "Red velvet with chocolate frosting?"

"I'm an odd one," Jessi shrugged. "And I'm allergic to cream cheese."

"It's an interesting combination."

"The bottom two tiers are normal, but the top is specialty for me." She smirked. "No one else'll eat it, so I guess it's all mine."

"It's actually kinda good," Thalia smiled.

"Well maybe you're an odd one, too."

Finishing her cake, she cleaned up after herself, wandering out to the back patio. Ryan stood outside, watching the party from the patio. "Something wrong?"

"You know, I knew a girl named Thalia when I was a younger."

"You did?"

"Yeah," he jogged down the steps into the impressive bamboo garden. "I was about eight when I met her."

Following him to a small enclosed area, she took off her shoes, sitting on the smooth concrete next to a small pool. "Tell me."

Ryan sighed. "Well, I had moved here about ten, eleven years ago, starting the third grade. When I started school the day after getting there, there was this girl, Thalia, sitting next to me. And I fell absolutely in love with her. She was so smart, always knew the answers in class. The teacher absolutely adored her, always talking about how her IQ was off the charts and she'd skip middle school.

"She didn't talk much to the other kids. But then again, behind her back, they always teased her, saying she was a nerd and a bunch of nasty things. I defended her and was instantly ostracized and persecuted. The kids in my class wouldn't talk to either of us, so she always paired with me.

"As time passed, she became my friend. Well, I became  _her_  friend, and she started to open up. Her dad was a scientist, and she learned from him to keep things contained; I guess she didn't want to let loose her big ideas. But it turns out, she was actually keeping dangerous things in."

"What dangerous things was she keeping in?"

"I'm getting to that," Ryan chuckled. "Anyways, it came to when I got sick with a nasty case of the flu. I was gone for a week and a half, and when I got back, there was a test on the end of the subject we were working on. I got so scared I cheated on the test, looking off her paper to pass. When the tests came back, she found out I cheated off her, and she tattled to the teacher. I failed, and I got so mad, I hit her. She spun off balance and hit her head on the desk. Her dad came to the school, furious with what happened; he demanded to know who hit her. And what did she do? She said I attacked her, and I got suspended.

"Ten days later, I came back, and by then, word spread around school what I did. Last I saw of her was lunchtime; I sit down, eat my food, clean my tray, about to head back to class. Then I start having breathing problems, my throat's swelling shut, and soon, I'm on a stretcher on the way to the hospital. But I could see her flinty stare as my eyes closed and I knew. She did it, poisoned my food. And then that's the last time I physically saw her. Until my brother's funeral, of course. She was friends with him. And then not even a week later, she died in an accident on the way to the hospital. I thought that was the last I'd see her."

"I'm so sorry," she said, placing her head on her hand. She laid down next to the edge of the pool, watching the rippling water. "That sounds horrible."

Ryan looked far away, then looked at her. "Until I saw her on a government agent's front porch almost two weeks ago."

Thalia looked up, fear clouding her dark eyes. "What?"

"You don't remember?" Ryan asked, mock innocence on his face. "Slipping one of your poisons into my food?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know!" Ryan grabbed her hand, jerking her forward. She whimpered, trying to pull her hand from his. "I know you know! You hated me for hitting you, and I was your friend! Do you know how much that hurt?"

"Stop," she pleaded. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? I think you do."

"Stop!" she gasped at the sudden pain in her scalp as he pulled her hair, gathering it in his fist. Jerking her head backwards, she could see the pool on either side of her head. "Ryan, please! Stop!"

Then her head went under the water. Her lungs began to burn from her holding her breath, combined with the pain from her scalp, it made black spots dance in her eyes. Convulsing, her chest felt like it was about to explode, and she opened her mouth, pushing all the air from her lungs. Water filled her mouth and she began coughing, trying to surface and get more oxygen. But his arms were like steel, unyielding to her futile attempts to breathe.

"It's not fun, is it?" his distorted voice asked. "Barely able to breathe, scrambling for fresh air, feeling a weight on your chest..."

Like a key had been jammed into her diaphragm, it twisted roughly and her lungs opened, sucking in more water. Then she felt weightless, floating in the water, in her head, until she heard another voice. "Daniel!"

"Jessi, it's not what you--"

She began attacking him, prying his fingers off her wrist and hair. "You monster!"

"I was only trying to scare her!" His voice was filled with fear. "She took everything from me! My mother, my brother, everything!"

And then she slipped away. But she looked down on the scene, watching Jessi shove Ryan, now Daniel, towards to corner of the enclosed pool area. She reached down and picked up her body, lifting it from the pool and laying it out gently on the concrete. Jessi began compressions on her, occasionally bringing her mouth down to breathe into hers. "Thalia, come on, fight!" she said desperately. "Breathe please!"

When her body didn't respond, Jessi lowered her ear to her chest. She snapped back up, a hand on her mouth to muffle the loud scream which still silenced the crowd. Scrambling to her feet, she raced to the opening, yelling, "Somebody call 911!"

She turned back to her body, tears streaming down her face as she tried more compressions. "Come on, Thalia, please!" she sobbed as her hands finally stopped moving.

"Thalia?"

Her head turned to see Donnie pushing through the back door. "Thalia?" Her name was barely audible as it left his mouth. He sank to his knees next to her still body, lifting her into his arms. "Thalia? Thalia! Please answer me, Thalia, please!" he begged her to respond, shaking her. His eyes widened as bloody water spilled from her mouth. "No! No..." His head bowed, burying his face in her shoulder. He squeezed her lightly, pulling away and now just staring at Daniel with a burning hatred. "What have you done?"

"It was an accident..."

***

Coulson glared at Daniel. "That's pretty evil for a teenager."

"I said it was an accident! Why does no one believe me?"

"Because an accident is me spilling my coffee. An accident is me stepping on Skye's foot. That?" Coulson looked at Thalia's dead body in Donnie's arms. "That's murder. Murder! You killed her!"

Donnie flinched at his words. "You're gonna go away for a long time," Coulson said. "Me and Ian Quinn will personally make sure of it."

"Daniel Hearthrow, you better have a damn good reason why I have cops on my doorstep!"

Everyone looked up as Lilah stood in the backdoor, two police officers behind her. Her light brown hair was a mess, her eyes narrowed.

"We got a call that he drowned a party guest, ma'am," one of the officers clipped. "She's back there."

Stepping down the stairs, she peered into the pool area. Her eyes widened as Donnie lifted Thalia's head, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Donnie?"

He slowed to a stop. Coulson furrowed his eyebrows. "Mrs. Hearthrow, you know him?"

Lilah scowled. "You honestly think I wouldn't recognize my own son?"

Skye's face fell blank. "Wait, he's--"

"Yeah," Lilah placed her hands on her hips. "He is." Entering the already crowded pool area, she pulled Daniel to his feet. "Take him."

He looked up. "Hi, Mom."  

When Daniel was taken away, Lilah crouched next to Donnie. "Hey, baby. Let me see her," Lilah said softly. Donnie tightened his grip on Thalia, shaking his head. "It's okay, I won't hurt her." She stroked Thalia's cheek. "She's beautiful," she whispered, and Donnie tensed his jaw, nodding his head. "Was she nice to you?"

"Yeah," he choked out. "She was."

"It's okay, baby," Lilah leaned forward, pressing her lips to his forehead. "I know how you feel."

Her eyes drifted down to her neck, and Lilah pulled the chain of Thalia's necklace out of her dress. She watched as the snowflake glimmered in the dim lights. "Donnie, did you make this?" He nodded. "Honey, it's beautiful."

"It was-- it was originally a flower," he said quietly. "But it got mangled and I had to reshape it."

Skye let her mouth hang open. Thalia had said it was from her father, but Donnie made it? Had he asked Ian to give it to her?  _How romantic of him._

Lilah gently pried Donnie's arms from around Thalia, placing her gently on the concrete. She smoothed the hair on the back of his head down as he buried his face in her shirt. "It's okay, Donnie, it's okay."

"No, it's not," he replied solemnly. "She's gone, and it's my fault. She's dead because of me."

"It's not your fault," Lilah insisted. "That was all Daniel's. And don't say you should've gone with her because what if the same thing happened? You can't constantly blame yourself."

"What was that?"

Donnie looked at Coulson. "I could have sworn I saw her move." He steadily stared at Thalia, and Jemma bent down and pressed her fingers against her pulse point. "Anything?"

"No." Jemma shook her head. "Sorry, sir. She's gone."

Suddenly, Thalia choked, and Jemma quickly turned her head to the side, watching as red tinged water shot from her mouth and nose. Coulson jumped back as she rolled onto her stomach, beginning to vomit pool water. "Thalia!" Donnie immediately reacted, helping her to a halfway sitting position. She coughed more, water spilling from her lips and down her chin. "It's okay," he said, leaning her head over his arm as she coughed more. "We're going with them to get you looked at."

"Going to a hospital?" Lilah arched an eyebrow, running her fingers through her hair.

"Agent Simmons and Agent Triplett are taking care of her tonight," Coulson informed her. "Which speaking of, let's get her back. Faster we can look at her, the better."

"Can you walk?" Jemma asked Thalia. When she began shaking, Triplett helped her to her feet, lifting her into his arms and taking her to the car. Donnie followed behind them, climbing into the car with the two older agents. "It's only a short drive there. But make sure she's still breathing and her pulse is getting better."

Nodding, Triplett pressed his fingers to the inside of her wrist, looking at his watch. "Her heart rate's improving. She's going for about a hundred beats a minute now."

"It normalized that quickly?" Jemma looked into the backseat. "Are we sure she--"

"She has an accelerated heartbeat," Donnie replied. "Excess electricity in her brain makes her heart beat faster."

"So she's outputting more electrical impulses, quickening reaction time," Triplett noted. "You said she had some funky virus a while back? Something along the lines of extending her brain's electrical capacity to make room for the enormous amount of energy she absorbed after she died. But how did she contain it all?"

"Could it be maybe because her brain is somehow magnetized?"

"Thalia's brain is a three pound electromagnet? That makes me feel better," Donnie grumbled. "But the big question is how did it get magnetized in the first place? You magnetize inorganic objects when you run electric current through copper wire wrapped around the object--"

"But a brain is an organic object that can't contain a large electric charge without frying--"

"So it had to have been naturally magnetized!"

"That's the only logical explanation, because if the cellular structure of her bone matter is theoretically unbreakable, then you wouldn't be able to open her skull and magnetize it anyways."

"Do you think being Asgardian has anything to do with it?"

"Quite possibly," Jemma replied. "Passing through portals would possibly require all atoms be scattered and then reassembled; but human atoms don't always have the capability to do that, which would explain why Tobias was stuck between here and that other world and why we think we see the dead. Leftover atoms of theirs still linger here."

When they stopped at the Bus, Jemma turned to Triplett. "Trip, can you set up the med pod please? Donnie and I'll bring her in." Lowering the ramp, Triplett went inside, and Donnie helped Thalia from the van, helping her inside. She fell to her knees, hacking and coughing.

"Come on, cough it up." He patted her back, and something hit the ground in front of her. Picking it up, he briefly gazed at the object. "Simmons!"

She rushed out to them, helping Donnie get her situated. When she was placed in the bed, Jemma turned to him. "What is it, Donnie?"

"She coughed up this," he held out his hand. In his palm sat a bloody piece of ice.

"Bloody hell," Jemma whispered, instructing him to bring it to the lab. When he left, she strapped an oxygen mask around Thalia's face, covering her in the blankets. Speeding into the lab, she slipped on a pair of gloves, picking up the piece of ice. "How did that get in there? Donnie, can you get me the micro reader, please?"

When the machine was in her hand, she ran it over the ice, letting a magnified picture form on the screen. The slick, bloody surface of the ice was covered in little hairs. Donnie gagged. "That's disgusting. What are those?"

"If she's still coughing up water, then most likely, that came from her lungs, and in your lungs you have little hairs called cilia to help catch allergens when you breathe." She pointed to the hairs. "Those are her cilia hairs."

"Isn't that painful?" Donnie asked, rubbing his chest. "When they come out?"

"Much like when you pull hair off your head or use wax on your legs, yes," she nodded. "But her lungs are made of sensitive tissue, so it's like ripping off the hair and then the skin underneath it. Hence all the blood."

"Can't we do anything?"

"She needs to be stabilized first; we can't give her anything until we know she's okay." She looked at the screen. "And this is anything but."

"Not even pain medicine?"

"I can try and keep her comfortable, but the pain medicine won't be much help when she's coughing up chunks of ice. Which speaking of, why did the ice form in her lungs?"

"Her gifts tie into each other, so maybe when her brain was trying to restart her systems, it temporarily forgot how to separate the electricity and ice. So when the muscle spasms hit her lungs, it froze water to the linings of her lungs."

"Poor girl." She turned as Coulson and the others walked up the ramp.

"How is she?" The question came from Coulson and Skye at the same time.

"Donnie thinks water froze to her cilia," Jemma explained. "And now she's coughing up icy chunks of her lungs."

Skye paled. "We can't do anything? No pain medicines?"

"It'll fade when the coughing starts. And sedation won't work because it won't get the ice out of her lungs."

"Nothing else works?" Fitz looked up. "We could alternate feeding hot air and oxygen into her lungs. Maybe the hot air will melt some of the ice."

"We'll do a trial run tomorrow," Jemma sounded hopeful. "But we need to sleep. So who's going to stay up and take first watch?"

"I will," Coulson replied. "Donnie's already been through enough and watching her cough up a lung-- quite literally-- doesn't need to be something he has to watch."

"You shouldn't need to experience that either."

"I watched her clinging to life on an operating table where the best doctors worked on stitching her lungs up the first time. I can handle it."

"Yes sir."

Shuffling to the bunks, Skye opened her door. "You can sleep in here, Donnie."

"I'm fine with the couch--"

"I'll be up anyways," she assured him hurriedly. "Besides, why not put all beds to use?"

Finally accepting the offer, sleep finally won over him and before long, he was no longer part of the awake crowd. "Fitz-Simmons, are you guys working on the hot air rig?"

"Uh, yes," Fitz replied, "but it shouldn't be ready to use for a while. Is Donnie asleep up there?"

"Yeah, he's out. Are you guys sure this hot air idea will work?"

"It should weaken the ice every time she inhales it, and eventually it'll melt."

"How long is eventually?"

"A day or so," Simmons replied. "The thickness of the ice in some places may make it difficult to determine how much time is needed; remember, Skye, she needs her cilia to breathe normally."

Looking at the holocom, she watched Coulson watch Thalia sleep, and he was speaking to her. She clicked the audio button. "...Thalia, if you can hear me, listen to me. I was once your mentor, and I know that, Anna or not, you were--are-- very caring. And there is someone here, on this plane, that could use some of that. He's very alone, I will admit, or at least he was until you became his friend. And from what I know about him, he doesn't make those easily. So he needs a friend to be there for him. Can you be that? For him, at least?"

Thalia coughed once, swallowing uneasily before turning to face him. She opened her eyes, looking at Coulson sleepily. "I already am," she said hoarsely, holding back another cough.

Coulson smiled. "Glad you're alive."

"Me too," she whispered, adjusting a strap. "Where is everyone?"

"Fitz-Simmons is working on a hot air rig to help melt the ice in your lungs."

"That explains why I feel so cold," she replied quietly, rubbing her chest. "Ugh, I'm so chilly, it's ridiculous. Is Donnie okay?"

"He's asleep upstairs," Coulson answered. "Still pretty shaken up over the evening's events."

"Why? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Coulson frowned. "Daniel drowned you; you died, your heart stopped. Donnie held you for what looked like ages, wouldn't even let his own mother touch you without permission."

"His mom was there?" Coulson grew steadily concerned with Thalia's reaction to the seemingly startling news.

"Yes, Thalia, she was," Coulson replied cautiously. "Thalia, this should be fazing you; if you don't recall, your heart stopped beating and you died."

"I know, you just told me. But, pardon me sir, who the hell cares? I'm here, aren't I?"

"How did you get back here, though?"

"All I remember hearing is someone say 'Thalia, fight' and so I did. I came back. I'm not leaving again without a fight. Why do you want to--" she began hacking, choking on air. Helping her take off the mask, she hit herself in the chest with her fist and a piece of ice came out, landing in her hand slicked with blood. "Oh my God, that's bad, isn't it?"

"Looks to be," Coulson watched the ice melt in her hand, and she wiped her hand along her sleeve. "That dress looks expensive."

"Hundred and forty-five dollars expensive which is covered in pool water and now blood," she scowled, strapping her oxygen mask back on. "Everyone'll be lucky if I don't burn the damn thing and scatter its ashes over Daniel's jail cell."

"You always had an interesting sense of humor."

"Did I get it before or after I died?"

"Pretty sure you had it the whole time."

"A man of your age flirting with a girl like me? Tut, tut, Mister Coulson."

"A man of my age? That's something you say to an old person."

"Well, nice try Casanova, I have a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend who's in another woman's bed."

Her mouth hung open until she began to laugh. "That's low, sir," she laughed. "Can I see him?"

"Like I said, he's sleeping." Coulson smiled. "Which means no cruel scaring him awake like a zombie from the dead." He placed his fingertips against his forehead. "Pun not intended."

"When's the last time he saw a scaring tag team with two dead guys?" Thalia asked sweetly, pulling the blankets off.

"Miss Quinn, you are recovering from a life threatening accident--"

"Oh, you did not call me 'Miss Quinn'," she scoffed. "If you want to be cordial, why don't you also call me 'young lady', old man?"

"You're about as sarcastic as Peter," Coulson chuckled.

"Will I ever be able to meet Peter? And Sam?" Thalia asked. "Were we friends?"

"Before I was team captain, I was mentor to a group of vigilantes under S.HI.E.L.D.'s protection."

"'Was'? Past tense?"

"When things got rough, it was disbanded to protect the members. Many were under eighteen and the ones that weren't faced being arrested for association." He looked at her. "You, Peter and Sam were particularly at risk. Until you received your reclassification. Then you were safely hidden away and couldn't be found. Fury hid everything related to you before he went off grid. Said 'Anna's first job will be her final resting place'."

"Wow, how Shakesperean," Thalia laughed. Taking slow steps until the bunks, she opened the one close to the swirling staircase. Donnie was sprawled out on the small bed, his dark hair mussed from sleep.

"Hmm..." he mumbled, "...don't touch her..."

"Aw," she smiled, pouting her lower lip. Setting her oxygen tank down quietly next to the bed, she sat down, rubbing her hand across his back. "Donnie?"

"You're supposed to be in the med pod," he said into the pillow, turning over and looking up at her. "Why are you here?"

"You don't want me here?"

"I want you downstairs getting better," he yawned. "I thought you were supposed to be keeping an eye on her, Agent Coulson."

"She can be a bit of a sweet talker," he replied with a vague smile. "She wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You die and your first thought upon reentering the world of the living is me?" Donnie asked. "Wow. What an honor."

"Don't be an ass."

"I'm not, it's just I don't think anyone's ever really cared that much."

"Donald Vincent Gill, your mother would be ashamed." He sat up against the wall, smiling as she sat next to him. "She cares that much."

"Walking out on me at nine years old does put a damper on your theory, though." Thalia winced. "I mean, if she truly cared, she wouldn't have left me with my father."

"Sorry."

"It's okay," he replied. He reached to kiss her nose, but was stopped by the mask on her face. "Thalia..."

"It's only to help me breathe without expanding my chest," she said quickly. "Apparently the warden's making me wear this."

Coulson forced a laugh. "Funny, I don't look like a warden."

"Funny, you don't look like one to have to take care of almost seven fully grown adults in this flying fortress of yours."

"You sounded like such an Asgardian just then," Coulson smiled. "Calling the plane a flying fortress."

"Who said that? My mother? Lady Sif?" Thalia recalled the visiting women from Asgard.

"Loki."

"That's hateful."

"Simmons will eat you alive if you're not there." Coulson looked serious. "I may be her boss, but she's yours, and if you're not there, she'll sedate you."

"Okay, I'm going," Thalia sighed, climbing off the bed. "Get some rest, Donnie. Stay warm."

"Yes, Miss Weaver," he muttered.

"Who?"

"Nothing. Night, Thalia."

***

Waking at the sound of a boiling kettle, Donnie stumbled out of bed, entering the small lounge outside Skye's bunk. "Who's making tea?"

"Morning," Fitz mumbled, his Scottish accent thick with sleep. "Want some?"

"I'll take coffee," Donnie yawned. "When'll that be ready?"

"Make yourself a cup," Fitz replied sleepily. "We got cups up there and you can use some of the boiling water and a coffee bag."

"Thanks," he replied, searching the cabinets. "Agent Fitz, I don't want there to be bad blood between us."

"I understand," Fitz replied, looking up to Donnie. He squirmed under the agent's gaze. "If you wanna apologize about Seth's actions, go ahead. But it's not you who should be apologizing."

"That... complicates things. I suppose something I have to be sorry for is making those prototypes and lying to you to help fix the battery." Donnie held the coffee cup in his hands. "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"I know, and I accept the apology," Fitz nodded his head. Lifting his cup to his lips, he took a drink of his tea. Looking down to his cup, Donnie wiped the frost off the cup. Simmons entered the kitchenette, making herself a cup. "Morning, Donnie."

"Morning, Agent Simmons," he said, placing his cup on the counter. "How is she?"

"She was doing good when I came up," she answered. "Not taking visitors, though. Her rig's running and I'm monitoring her vitals."

"Maybe Donnie and I could work on some trinkets in the lab?" Fitz suggested. Donnie felt his pulse pounding in his ears. "He can keep an eye on her while we're working."

"Okay, but try not to disturb her," Jemma replied. "She asked to be sedated so her coughing wouldn't bother the tube."

"She has a tube down her throat?"

"Well yes. The hot air wouldn't be warm enough to melt the ice if it wasn't."

"Come on, let's go," Fitz took his cup down to the lab with him. "Wouldn't want to forget all these big ideas." When they were safely situated in the lab, Fitz warmed his hands on his ceramic mug. "You remember when we were talking about when we both first got to the Academy?"

Donnie nodded. "I said I was nervous talking to Simmons, until we got paired together. And after that, we were inseparable. You and Thalia are kinda like that, you know?"

"I can talk to Thalia," Donnie replied. "It's like talking to the female equivalent of me. Intellectually."

"You know Donnie, Thalia is a very rare kind of person," Fitz said softly. "I mean, it's hard finding people you can relate with; people that become friends. It's harder finding someone who you can share an intimate closeness with. And finding someone who can balance both is truly the hardest thing to do. She cares for you and about you, even in times when she needs to worry about herself."  
***

Jemma sat down, eating her breakfast and checking Thalia's vitals on her medtab. "So how's she doing?" Skye asked.

"She's getting better," Jemma answered, spearing part of her omelette onto her fork. "Heart rate's low, but that's because of the sedation. Other than that, all her vitals are normal for her in REM sleep."

Switching over to a camera, she watched the room. Thalia slept on her side, her hair pinned up behind her. She tucked her chin into her chest, the tube in her mouth pushing the dark shirt she wore away from her. Skye smiled. "Aw!"

"What?"

"The sleeves are too long," Skye pointed to Thalia's fingers clasped over the ends of the sleeves. "That's gotta be Donnie's."

"You're probably right," Jemma smiled.

"No, I've seen her wearing that before," Skye said. "She had a hypothermia scare and he gave her one of his thermal shirts to keep warm. That's the same one!"

"That's so romantic," Jemma's lips quirked into a higher smile. Her smile quickly faded when the vitals screen switched on. "Her breathing's becoming labored, her heart rate's rising, blood oxygenation levels are dropping. Something's wrong."

Standing, both women ran to the med pod, opening the door and shutting off the rig. "Sedation should last for another few minutes, try and get the tube out of her throat."

Drawing it out gently, Skye cheered. "I got it!" she announced, about to set it down when Jemma stopped her. "What?"

"What on earth is  _that_?" Jemma pointed to the end of the tube. A silver fluid dripped off the edge.

"That came from her lungs?" Skye remained motionless as Jemma dragged a testing tube along the tube, filling the tube with the silver fluid. "No wonder the monitor was going off."

She looked into the lab, where Donnie and Fitz were talking back and forth, messing with the holotable. "We should wait until later to check this out."

"This is in her lungs, Jemma," Skye flicked the tube. "We need to examine this now."

"Come on, let's go take a look."

Passing from the hallway into the lab, she opened the door. "Fitz, I need your help figuring out what this is," Jemma said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Any clues?"

"Looks like mercury," Donnie suggested.

"Simmons, what the hell is that?" Coulson asked over the comms.

"I don't know. Perhaps you can contact your friend the friendly Asgardian and see if he knows." Skye suggested bluntly.

Coulson went quiet for a few minutes then came back. "He wants to know where it was found."

"Not in front of him."

Donnie crossed his arms. "Why not in front of me?"

"It was found in Thalia's lungs, sir," Jemma said regretfully. Everyone waited impatiently while Coulson went offline.

Suddenly, he clicked back on. "Don't touch it!"

"Why?"

"That's argenteum," Coulson answered. "It's instantly fatal to human beings!"

"What?!" Jemma slipped on a pair of gloves. "What do you mean it's instantly fatal?"

"If it touches you, you're dead."

"But Thalia's half," Donnie panicked. "Why isn't she affected?"

"Because she's Asgardian, it doesn't kill her instantly. It just kills her slower."

"Why?" Donnie's eyes were blown wide, the blue nearly black.

"Because it also kills Asgardians."

"We're coming up to you," Skye replied. Dragging Donnie with her, they locked themselves in Coulson's office. "Explain. Now."

"Agent Coulson, is he the female Asgardian's lover? I haven't actually heard of or seen another of our kind that lived here. Especially one so young."

"Professor Randolph."

"Sorry."

"Did he just call me Thalia's lover?"

"Her name is Thalia?" Randolph asked. "She sounds very lovely."

"She is," Coulson pursed his lips. "Now what is this?"

"Suffering from argenteum poisoning," Randolph said calmly. "Argenteum was something found a long time ago, I'm unsure of its original origins until it was found and introduced to us. It was found to slowly kill our kind, but instantly kill humans. But how did this end up on Midgard now?"

"She was drowned to the point of death and somehow resuscitated after being dead for almost ten minutes."

Randolph huffed. "So she was brought back by someone."

"Who?"

"It's not clear; not many have the power to send souls back to their bodies, and yet she's walking."

"No, she's struggling to stay alive. How can we heal her?"

"You can't. Like I said, it kills Asgardians. And another fact, while I was still there, in Asgard, a law was passed: no half-Asgardian children were allowed to live."

"In Asgard?"

"In any of the realms," Randolph replied. "They were believed to be more powerful than us, so they were ordered to be executed. So, even though she can be cured there, she would also likely be killed upon entry."

"Why were they thought to be more powerful?"

"It depended on the Asgardian parent. Practicers of magic were especially bad because their children inherited their abilities." Randolph sighed. "Speaking of, who is her Asgardian parent?"

"Lorelei."

"Oh, I see." Randolph sighed. "Well then Agent Coulson, I'm very sorry. It'd take a miracle on her behalf, and I don't think an Asgardian will extend that kind of kindness to someone like her."

The comm ended. "Oh my God."

"Donnie, I'm so sorry," Skye placed her hand on his shoulder. "We'll let you go back to Triplett's."

Donnie remained still as the dead, staring at the floor. "She's going to die this time. Permanently."

"Maybe you can go back to Trip's house and get some of her things, keep her comfortable," Coulson said. "She'll need it."

Skye unlocked the door and called for Triplett. He bounded in. "What's up?"

"Thalia needs some of her things from your place," Skye said quietly. "We want to keep her comfortable while we can."

"Yes, ma'am," Triplett answered. "Come on, let's go."

When Donnie and Triplett left, they heard the sound of the car taking off. "Coulson, I don't know what to say."

"Thalia's going to die for real this time," Coulson said softly, "and there's nothing we can do about it except watch her die."

"Sir, there's some kind of disturbance going on about twenty kilometers from here," Fitz said. "It looks like another Asgardian is coming."

"Get your gear," Coulson ordered. "Simmons will stay here and wait for the others. We need to see if this one will help us."

"But the event's changing, different portals keep opening and closing; it's getting closer to us."

Heading down to the cargo bay, Coulson waited at the foot of the ramp. "How close is it?"

An explosion of light erupted in front of them, and when it cleared, a woman in green was crouching close to the ground. Her hood was a deep green, disguising her face. Standing to her full height, her hood was a type of robe, floating around her body.

"Hello, Asgardian!" Coulson called. "Who are you?"

"My identity doesn't matter," the woman answered. "I come looking for someone. Can you assist me in finding her?"

"She's here, sick," Coulson informed her. "She is very sick with argenteum poisoning. She requires medical care that can only be received on Asgard."

"Then I hope I can assist her," the woman said. Tossing back her hood, golden blonde hair cascaded down to her waist. "I am Amora, and I'm here for my sister's child."

"Lorelei has a sister?" Skye asked. "We were not aware."

"It's not widely known," Amora replied, stepping up the ramp into the plane. "My sister is a fool, and I am not. I try my best to not see her, but Heimdall told me her child is dying from argenteum poisoning. Now where may I find her?"

"This way," Coulson led her to the med pod, which lay empty. "Simmons, where's Thalia?"

"Who is she?" Thalia dried her hair with a towel, a pair of pajama pants and Donnie's thermal shirt hanging off her petite frame. "Is she an Asgardian?"

"Yes, she's here to heal you," Coulson replied. Taking a few steps, Amora smiled. Thalia stepped back, and a flash of lightning filled the room, striking Amora. Slowly her armor turned frosty.

"She has abilities?" Amora melted the ice from her clothes. "Not her mother's, I can tell. Although she does retain the gift of extreme beauty from her, not much else has been revealed. But the ability to control the weather is a rather rare gift; I, Thalia, possess some rare gifts of my own."

"You do?"

"One being the ability to heal you; now come Thalia, daughter of Lorelei, for because our blood runs through you, I will heal you. On Asgard."

"But Randolph said--"

"Yes, it is law that half children must be killed," Amora said, "but she is part of a prophecy. She cannot be killed by Asgardians, so she must stay alive until it is fulfilled. Otherwise, consequences may be severe."

"Thalia, you need to listen to her," Coulson urged. "You're dying, and if she can heal you, let her."

"Yes sir," she stepped forward, and Amora scooped her into her arms. "What are you doing?"

"The more you move, the faster it'll kill you." Amora pulled her hood back over her head. "Now, let's go. I only have a small window of time, and you're coming quite close to the end."

"Tell Donnie I'll be okay," Thalia said to Skye. She nodded, and Amora stepped through the portal, taking Thalia with her.

***

Laying Thalia out on a bed, Amora bustled around the room, plucking bottles from the shelves. "Amora?"

"You need not call me that," the woman replied. "I am your mother's sister, and you are my niece. You may call me Aunt Amora."

"Aunt Amora," Thalia paused. "Am I going to die?"

"No, not when I'm here," Amora assured her with a soft smile. "Now remove your clothes. They need to be burned to make sure the argenteum doesn't come back."

"My shirt, it's not mine," Thalia admitted. "It's someone else's."

"Ah," Amora said in a knowing tone. "Is it your lover's?"

Thalia blushed. "He's not my lover."

"Do you share an intimate relationship with him?" the older woman asked, and Thalia nodded. "Then he's your lover. Pardon my abilities, I am not familiar with the earthen way of language. I haven't been to Midgard in centuries. Usually one would refer to a relationship as such when both people have fully committed."

"You mean to ask if I've had sex with him?"

"I believe so."

"No, I've not," Thalia replied. "I--how do I word it?-- I haven't found the right time for it."

"Waiting until both of you are ready? I find that very noble. Tell me about him." Amora began mixing things together. "Your lover."

"His name is Donnie," Thalia said. "He builds."

"He is a blacksmith, judging by your necklace," Amora watched as Thalia clutched her snowflake charm.

"Sort of. He likes working with his hands when he builds."

"A positive attribute to the relationship, I suppose,"Amora smiled vaguely. "How does he treat you?"

"Like a lady, Aunt Amora," Thalia blushed. "I'm his first."

"Lover?"

"People don't talk much to him," Thalia folded his shirt, laying it on the bed. "They don't like him because he's very intelligent."

"Midgardians scorn men like yours because they are wise?" Amora asked incredulously. "On Asgard, intelligent men like yours are sought after, revered. Women here appreciate a smart man. Midgardians' ways are twisted."

"Yeah," Thalia bobbed her head up and down. "In the area of Midgard I was raised, women want a man with money."

"Preposterous," Amora turned, holding a bowl in her hand. "Here. Drink this. I'll make more."

"What is it?"

"Purifies your body of argenteum, now drink it," Amora ordered. Taking a tentative sip, Thalia drank the concoction as Amora sat. "I do suppose Midgardians ways have always been a bit skewed. Last time I visited, women preferred knights to scholars, as men always thought women were wicked and would steer their brightest away from their destined paths. If these Midgardian men had women as equal companions and as scholars, then Midgard might be caught up with the rest of the realms. But alas, mortal men think themselves superior to women when they don't stop to think we gave birth to them."

Giving the bowl back to Amora, Thalia asked, "Aunt Amora, when I died, how did I come back?"

"I brought you back," she stated. "Well, Hela or Helena, her name I cannot remember, she did. I healed her of a particularly tricky toxin, and she said she should've died. So I'm allowed to go beyond the veil as part of our deal." She lifted the sleeve of her hooded cloak. An outline of an ornate gate was on her skin. "She gave this to me so I can come and go as I please. Usually, I used it to retrieve answers from the dead. But when Lorelei gave birth to you, the ghosts said a child had been born, one of a prophecy to defeat an evil with many heads. One that Asgard didn't know about; a half child."

"She's been in prison for six hundred years."

"That I will admit blame. I used magic to disguise myself as her while she did Heimdall knows what. I suppose during one of her stints out she had you."

"How was she found out?"

"I didn't know her collar prevented her from speaking, and I spoke. It didn't take long to put the puzzle together." Amora looked down. "I managed to say she had tricked me using magic. She hasn't been on good ground with me since. Occasionally, I help her so she can see you, but the last she saw you was sometime around your sixth birthday. That I'm aware, when the Dark Elves attacked, she left for Midgard to see you. But she never found you. And neither did Sif." Amora sighed. "I suppose that to be fortunate."

"Aunt Amora, I'm feeling really sleepy...."

"Sleep," she cautioned. "I will make sure your lover's gift to you is cleaned."

***

"Why would you do that?" Donnie asked. "You just let some strange woman take off with Thalia!"

"She's a healer," Coulson replied. "One that could help Thalia. What other choice did we have?"

Donnie paced the office. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just, you let her jump to another dimension without telling me. What if she was scared?"

"She was dying, of course she was scared." Coulson steepled his hands. "But deciding what happened to her at that moment wasn't your call."

"And it was yours?" Donnie replied sourly.

"As a matter of fact, it was," Coulson snapped. "I decide what my agents do. If I hadn't sent her to bring you in in the first place, we'd end up having to put you down for posing a risk to all sides."

"Thalia was supposed to bring me in?"

Skye went motionless. Donnie spun around, glaring at the team. "Did you guys know about this? Was Thalia supposed to bring me back to you guys?"

"Anna was supposed to, yes," Coulson answered. "Until she reverted back to being Thalia. She doesn't know."

"Do you know how stupid that decision was?" Donnie asked. "Mister Quinn has been looking for his daughter for almost eleven years! You didn't stop and think that if you believed he was looking for me, he'd have traffic cameras and almost every possible angle on me figured out. And when she enters even one of those angles, he'll get concerned as to who is strangely familiar talking to me. Then fast forward to where he finds out she is his daughter after watching her on the brink of death for hours on end. Recovering for eight days afterwards in a coma, not having a clue who she is. Eight days in a coma after a piece of rusted metal severed her carotid artery and cut her throat.

"I begged for her not to die," he continued. "Stayed by her side through almost every step of her recovery. Only to find out on the afternoon of August first, exactly five months ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. sent her in there to die."

"Donnie, we--"

"I'm not interested. I'm pissed off." He stormed out of the office.

"Coulson, is that true?" Skye asked. "Did you send her in there to die?"

"Skye--"

"Did you?"

Coulson sighed. "Anna has had experience in getting out of sticky situations like so, she knew that going in. She knew it might get messy. But she also knew about Quinn and it's highly probable he might've known about her."

"So you sent her in there, a  _BioWeapons specialist_ , to bring him back. Did you honestly think her high intelligence would attract him like bacon does to a dog?"

"She knew the odds were stacked against her."

"So when she faced getting captured--"

"She needed to take off her edge."

"You told her if she got captured, she needed to ensure they wouldn't get information from her." Skye's face contorted to one of horror. "You had her rig this all. Donnie thinks he's the one that hurt her, and you lied to him."

"I never said it was his fault."

"You never said it wasn't, either," Skye spat. "He would give his life for her, and you're lying to his face. We are the only people that can help them and we're lying to them. Let that sink in."

***

Waking groggily, Thalia touched her chest, which felt filled with cotton. "Hmm..."

"You're awake," Amora acknowledged her, handing her another bowl. "Drink."

Drinking the concoction, Thalia set down the bowl down and inhaled sharply. "What am I wearing?"

"It's keeping you cool, and I thought the white was very beautiful."

A thin material like gauze was wrapped around her shoulders, crossed down her chest and tied at the small of her back. A filmy skirt went down to her calves. "This is beautiful."

"Well, you were running a fever when you were sleeping, so it needs to be cleaned. And so do you. Come, Thalia," Amora stood, strolling to a closed door. Pushing it open, a large bathroom was inside. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Rolling off the bed, she padded into the bathroom. It was decorated in creamy white and green tiles, a gold finish to everything. "Wow."

"Let me find Julian," Amora muttered. "He'll assist you. I have a woman coming in twenty minutes. Julian!"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Oh, there you are!" Amora stroked Julian's bare chest. "Help my niece here with whatever she needs until I return."

"Of course, milady," Julian nodded. Shutting the bathroom door behind him, he gestured to the bath tub. "Shall I get the water running?"

"Uh, yes," Thalia shook her head. Julian bent down and turned on the faucets, watching the tub fill. "Milady has asked I help you with your dress."

Bending down behind her, she felt his fingers begin to untie the knots holding her dress together. "I'm sorry, I'm not comfortable with you touching me."

"It's quite alright," Julian stood. "I can't see you anyways."

"You can't?"

"I've been blind for some time," Julian gestured to his eyes. "But Lady Enchantress has been kind to me. She found me, and brought me here. Even though I can't see, she enchanted me so I could see, across the galaxy. It comforts her patients with loves at war."

"Really?"

"A question shows me to whoever you want," he answered simply.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"Loyalty. Your lover must admire it."

"He does." Pulling the ties, her dress fell to the floor, pooling around her feet. "I'm getting in."

"Is it to your liking?"

Sinking into the water, she let out a sigh of appreciation. "Yes," she breathed. "It is."

"Do you want me to wash your hair?"

"Sure," she sounded sleepy again, and her head tilted back against the rim of the tub as Julian wet down her hair, working a flowery substance into it. "Am I going to fall asleep?"

"It means you're relaxing," Julian's voice sounded distant. "Just relax..."

"Julian, when did you get to Asgard?"

"When Lady Enchantress came for me, it was, according to a priest I ran into, 1691. It was the end of the year, and when the trials began, I was being persecuted for agelessness. They accused me of witchcraft, and the night before I was sentenced to be hanged, she appeared to me, saying she had come for me. With a basket filled full with greens, she took me back to Asgard. Turns out I was an Asgardian who had came to earth, losing my memory. She has kept me under her wing ever since."

"You were alive during the Salem Witch Trials?"

"Is that what they're called on Midgard?"

"Of course," Thalia nodded. "Dozens of innocent men and women were wrongfully accused of witchcraft and were hung."

"Well, I'm particularly pleased I wasn't a part."

Rinsing her hair, Julian reached for a comb, combing her hair from the ends up. "Julian, where does my Aunt Amora live?"

"This small cottage has enchantments to make the inside bigger," Julian said, "but this cottage-type abode is on the edge of civilization. Lady Enchantress likes being close to the Bifrost so that she may leave at a moment's notice to gather different herbs and plants from the different realms. Lady Enchantress actually left for Jotenheim last night as she needed ice crystals to tame your high fever."

"I didn't mean to be a burden."

"Think not, Khione. After all was explained to the King of the Frost Giants, he agreed to let Lady Enchantress take what she needed."

"Why did you call me Khione?"

"As in Khione, Lady of Ice and Snow," he answered. "Your gifts have been admired from realms over. It's been centuries since anyone has witnessed a sorceress that controls weather." He stuck his finger in the water. "The water is not warm; your bath is done."

"Is it?" Thalia stood, and Julian handed her a robe. Putting it on, she left the bathroom, nervously wringing her hair. Her dress was laid on the bed. Slipping into the thin fabric, she knotted it at the small of her back.

"Milady says she wishes to see you."

Entering the living area, Amora stood from her chair. A woman sat across from her, looking at cards laid out on a table. "Thank you, Lady Enchantress," the woman bowed her head. "I know what I need to know now," she replied robotically.

"Pleasure's all mine," Amora smiled graciously. "You may leave."

"Pleasure to finally put a face to the name, Lady Khione," the woman nodded, leaving the home. Amora turned to Thalia. "Now, these are for you," she said, handing Thalia a pair of wrist cuffs. "They should enhance your gifts when you use them."

"Thank you, Aunt Amora," Thalia slipped them on her wrists. Streaks of burning cold arced through her, and a mini blizzard whipped around her, ending when her filmy dress was replaced with her skintight frost dress.

"By the stars," Amora said, awed. As she poked at her frosty dress, it melted under her touch. "You may be more gifted than your mother! Your lover, does he know?"

"That I can do this?" Thalia held out her hand, and electricity swirled into another mini blizzard, leaving her with a snowball in her hand. "I get this from him."

"He can do this?" Amora crinkled her eyebrows. "Have Midgardians stumbled upon some lost magic abandoned by the Frost Giants?"

"He's a scholar that builds machines," Thalia simplified. "He built a machine that could change the weather to ice and snow. But something went wrong and he came out of it able to freeze things he touches."

"Marvelous!" Amora exclaimed. "Perhaps Midgardians are getting closer to us. Are you sure he isn't of Asgard?"

"Yes, Aunt Amora, I'm sure. He's one hundred percent human."

"Well, you are cured, so we must leave." Amora grabbed her cloak, tossing the hood over her head. "Your lover has grown worried over your departure."

"He cares a lot."

"Well, I shall speak with him," Amora said in a serious tone. "It seems he is ready for it."

"You're gonna give him the Talk? Aunt Amora, please don't embarrass him!" Thalia hid her face in her hands. "Or me."

"Have good faith," Amora waved a hand through the air. A shimmering ring of light filled the air before her, and an image of a house filled the circle of light. "It should be nothing to worry about. Besides, you claim you are his first. So he needs to be informed of how to treat you."

"God, I'm so screwed."

"All in good time, niece!" Amora cackled, throwing them both through the portal. "All in good time!"

***

Taking off his pair of shoes, Donnie stepped into the house, watching the sunset. It was a fiery explosion of color, lighting up the evening sky in reds, oranges, yellows and purples. A bright light filled his vision, and before he knew it, two people fell out of a hole in the air.

"Did we land in Midgard?" a woman asked, dusting off her green hood.

His eyes landed on a pair of familiar brown and blue speckled eyes. "Thalia?"

"Donnie!" she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. He pressed his hand against her cheek, pressing his lips to her forehead. Letting his arms fall down to her back, his fingers grazed the bare skin from her neck to her waist. Thalia pulled away from him, grazing her teeth along the inside of his hand when she kissed it. "I've missed you."

"I know," he rested his forehead against hers. "I have too."

"Your lover cares for you far more than I first speculated," the green hooded woman noted. Thalia turned in his arms to face her.

"He saved my life once, Aunt Amora," she told the woman. "He was there when I was recovering."

"Why don't you change into your Midgardian things?" Amora suggested. "We will talk while we wait."

Nodding, Thalia pulled out of Donnie's arms, heading to her room. "So," Amora said haughtily, "you are whom my niece shares intimacy with."

"Uh, yes, I believe so," Donnie replied.

"She says you two haven't fully committed to each other yet," she said cautiously. "I find this noble. Usually, I would allow her mother to have this discussion with you, but no offense to her mother--"

"I know."

"Interesting." Amora circled Donnie. "Thalia says you are highly intelligent and yet you're scorned by humanity."

"Well, most of humanity, anyways," he admitted with a shy smile. "The rest are rather threatened or fascinated."

"And her, Thalia? What of her?"

"She isn't part of humanity," he pointed out knowingly. Thalia entered the room, wearing a tank top and pajama shorts, and he picked her up, letting her toes brush the carpet as he kissed her temple. Amora smiled.

"This young man is a good match for you, my niece," she bowed her head. "He will treat and love you gently."

Thalia smiled tightly. "Humiliating me more than needed, Aunt Amora."

"Ah, but isn't that what family does?" Amora asked vaguely. With a flourish of her hand, another portal opened, and her cottage appeared. "I will see you again, Thalia. If you need me, just call for me."

And with that, she stepped through the portal.

Donnie squeezed her reassuringly. "I don't exactly appreciate the week long disappearances."

"A week?"

"Yeah, today's the eighth of August," Donnie told her. "Did you not see a calendar there on Asgard?"

"No, I just drank this weird stuff and fell asleep. Then when I woke up, I drank more of it, had a bath, and left." Thalia sat down on the couch. "My Aunt Amora actually had an assistant who was here in America during the Salem Witch Trials. He was condemned to hanging, and she popped over from England I'm guessing and rescued him."

"You know, many people believe there was actually LSD in the water, which made people hallucinate and think they saw witchcraft."

"Well, aren't you Mister Fun Facts?" Thalia teased him. Joining her on the couch, Donnie ran his fingers along her warm skin.

"You're in trouble, Thalia," he smiled mischievously.

"Why? What did I do?" she asked seriously. "Damn it, I forgot to take my iron pill, didn't I?" She stood, but Donnie dragged her back onto the couch.

"No," he replied. "You made me worried."

"Well, Mister Stalker Boyfriend, I didn't exactly get a say in it--"

"I wasn't finished," he murmured, softly biting her lip. "I accidentally..." he paused for a brief moment, kissing her now tender bottom lip, "...froze the front door."

She laughed softly, her eyes drifting to the lining of ice around the door. "Can we leave?"

"You wanna bust out your hair dryer?"

"But I just got here," she pouted. "Why do we have to leave?"

"We don't. We've got enough food, water, heating," his eyes landed on her. "I was thinking of when Triplett decides to check on me."

"We'll work on that issue later," she answered. "But for now, let's worry about dinner. So how about spaghetti?"

"I'm cooking, you take your iron pill," he declared. "Then maybe a movie?"

"I have a good one in mind," Thalia smiled. After swallowing her iron pill and a cup of chocolate milk, she entered her room, picking up her pillow. After shaking out the pillowcase, her movie fell to the bed. Snatching it from the creamy white duvet, she sauntered back into the living room, setting the red case next to the tv. "Are we using the tomato sauce without onions?"

"I don't know what your deal is with onions," he said exasperatedly. "Why can't we come to an agreeable compromise and use a sauce with dehydrated onions?"

"Because onions are gross and I'm not eating them, end of story."

"Well, what if I want onions in the sauce?"

"You best not want any dessert then," she huffed, picking through the freezer until she produced a Drumstick. "Because I'm not eating onions."

Ripping open her ice cream packaging, she bit into the chocolate and peanut encrusted top of her ice cream, giggling as pieces gathered at the corners of her mouth. Licking them away, she ate it in silence, offering the cone when she finished. He shook his head, a teasing smile on his face. "You said I couldn't have dessert."

"Oh come on, you're not still upset over that, are you?"

"I remember you being pretty pissed over my wanting onions in the sauce."

"Well, you realized you could have simply said if I didn't want onions in the sauce to not have any. Easy as that."

"So now I'm being punished?"

Smiling, she still held out the Drumstick cone. "No? Okay," she tore into the waffle cone, tearing it apart until she polished off the chocolate filled tip of the cone.

"That'll ruin your appetite."

"To hell with my appetite," she said through shards of waffle cone in her mouth. "I almost died. I'll have myself an ice cream cone and you'll do nothing."

"Except give you less spaghetti," he made their plates, giving her the smaller plate.

"And in retaliation, I won't give you the name of the movie you've been wanting to see since France."

" _Wreck-It Ralph_? You're kidding," he dropped the spaghetti fork into the pot. "Thalia, you better not be messing with me."

She let out a derisive snort. "Could be."

Rounding the counter into the living room, he watched her finish her meal. "Where is it, Thalia?"

"Where's what?"

"You know what I'm talking about," he leaned against the wall, staring her down. "I want to know where it is."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine." He walked up to the tv, searching the movie rack for the movie. "I'll just find it myself."

"No," Thalia whined. He felt her arms wrap around his chest. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise you clearly ruined," he replied, spotting a Redbox case next to the DVD player. Before he could touch it, Thalia reached out from behind him and snatched away the movie.

"No spoiling what's left of the horrible surprise." Thalia yawned. "Besides, I'm tired. I just spent a week in a different dimension, and slept the entire way through it. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Goodnight, Thalia." Donnie hugged her close to his chest. "I'm glad you're better."

"I know."

"Can I watch it?"

Thalia said simply and bluntly, "No."

"Okay, good night." Retiring to their rooms, each left their door open. One wanting to wake up and see the other, and the other to ensure they were actually there.

***

Waking early the next morning, Donnie padded to the kitchen and made himself coffee, opening the blinds above the kitchen sink. Morning sunlight streamed into the house, illuminating the woman sitting on the couch. "Come, sit."

Warming his cold hands on the ceramic cup, he sat down in the seat closest to the hall. "There's no need," the woman removed her hood, unveiling herself as Amora. "I only wish to talk."

"Okay then, let's talk."

"My niece is a very fragile thing," Amora said softly. "She is strong, yet her emotional stability is one of a child's level. What happened to her?"

"Nobody really knows," Donnie answered, taking a long drink of his coffee. The warmth slid down his throat and settled into his stomach, causing him to feel warm in his chest. "When she was little, she was abducted after a house fire. She lost consciousness for a long time, then on her way to the hospital, she was in a wreck and hit her head badly."

"I suspected something was wrong," Amora stood, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting back down. "When I looked through her mind, it was like a large gaping hole was in her memories. So when I looked further, the last thing she remembers was being placed in this metal monstrosity with wheels, and these men from a place called S.H.I.E.L.D. took her away. She hasn't uncovered anymore of such memories before her accident."

"Couldn't you uncover them?"

"She must go through this process herself," Amora cautioned. "Otherwise I might uncover too much and she'll go mad. But anyways, I looked for the other end of this gaping hole in her memories and the first thing I saw was this monster jamming its claws into my niece's chest. It looked like the Aether; it was a monstrous thing. She was in so much pain, it hurt me. Watching herself die. Then I remembered a similar time I was beyond the veil. I saw her spirit wandering around, lost, unsure of where she was. I took her hand, and while I walked her back to the gate, she said she felt cold, it felt difficult to breathe. Then I opened the gate and let her through.

"As I continued watching this memory play out, she woke up in this coffin of glass--"

"Like Snow White?"

"Don't preach such childish nonsense," Amora snapped. "She woke, and suddenly, the memory starts blinking in and out, in and out, watching another Aether-like monstrosity being removed from her skin. I wanted to bring her to Asgard then and there; you see, you Midgardians tortured her, forced her down and did horrible things to her that of which cannot be undone. They forced something into her that subdued my niece, my Thalia, for years. I trailed the edges of this hole, looking for anything that could remotely show signs of Thalia surfacing. But she never did. Once in eleven years did she surface, and that's when she died. When I brought her back, I never did see Thalia again. Not until a week ago, when Heimdall told me she was dying slowly and painfully from argenteum."

"What are you saying?" Donnie looked into his cup and saw his coffee had frozen solid.

"I'm saying she has been broken by Midgard and I'm not sure whether she can repaired."

"Can you find out what happened to her missing memories?"

Amora shook her head. "Thalia's memories are there, but the others are not. I do not suspect she suppressed them, but only because if she did, they'd be in a haze, not a jagged gaping hole in her mind. Something took them from her."

"Why?"

"Maybe because someone wanted to protect her," Amora shrugged. "But my opinion of choice? Those memories were its memories."

"'It'?"

"Can you name a single Midgardian thing that can overpower an Asgardian? Argenteum, Aether, although my theories are hazy on such experiments."

"And?"

"Or."

"Why 'or'?"

"Because neither were here eleven years ago. Think of it. You're a scholar, what do you think did it?"

"I..." Donnie couldn't help but shrug his shoulders. "I don't know."

"Because it wasn't the Asgardian part of her that was overpowered. It's the human part. Midgardians twisted it, corrupted it until it suited their own image. When I took my niece from the small band of people caring for her, I said she was part of a prophecy, to defeat an evil of many heads. Could you clarify?"

"Hydra," Donnie nodded. "It was this monster in Greek mythology that had a lot of heads."

"And your lover is referred to as Lady Khione on Asgard, whom in Greek mythology is goddess of ice and snow. We have many concepts that people believed belonged to the civilizations of old. Greece, Rome, the Vikings. But you do not mean the hydra, the quintuplet headed beast from their mythology. You mean something else. What do you mean?"

"This organization of bad people," he answered. "Bad people. That's the only description I have."

"So this evil of many heads is a group of corrupt minded Midgardians?" Amora frowned. "I see."

"She has to find her past and face the people that did this to her."

"I think that's what it means," Amora nodded. "But she will discover this in her own time as well." Draining her cup, she placed it on the table next to her. "Now onto the other topic I had in mind."

"Which was?"

"Her... shall I dare say her intimate matters?" Amora struggled to find the right words. "Or is it...?"

"You mean to ask if she's a virgin?"

"Is that a Midgardian term for someone who hasn't committed?"

"Not in so many words, but yes."

"Passing that, due to her lack of memories, I cannot tell what happened to her. She may have, she may have not, I do not know. You must be gentle with my niece. I know you say you will, but I do not mean just for that. I mean for all aspects." She pulled something from her cloak, handing it to him. "She values you likes she does life; because she asked for this, your shirt gifted to her, to be saved. I was able to, and in the process learned something. She cherishes what little she's been given since waking up as herself again. I expect you will do the same. Cherish the light she's brought into your life."

When Donnie nodded, she stood. "I trust you can keep what we've discussed between the two of us."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And Donnie?" Amora turned around in front of her portal. "If you ever mistreat her, I will rip your icy heart from you and feed it to the bilgesnipe. Is that part crystal clear, at least?"

Donnie paled. "Yes."

"Then off I go." Moments after the portal, he heard a long, drawn out groan from the hallway. As he stood in front of her doorway, Thalia let her hand hang over the bed, her eyes closed.

"Donnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you lay down with me?"

Entering the room silently, he pulled back the sheets and settled into her bed. "What's wrong?"

"I just spent a week in another dimension."

"Well, that ought to do it." He weaved their fingers together, and she tucked their hands into her chest. Her heartbeat was quick and steady against his wrist. "Anything else?"

"I am hungry." She turned on her back, looking up at the ceiling. "But I don't want to get out of bed."

"We can stay here."

"I know," she snorted. Resting her head in the crook of his elbow, she glanced at the edge of the bandage she had placed on his arm days earlier. "How's your arm?"

"I don't feel any more pain. That's good, isn't it?"

"Let me see." Throwing a leg over him to the other side, she towered over him. "Sit up."

When he sat against the headboard, she sat on his thighs, peeling the adhesive away from his skin. "How is it, Doc?"

"You're gonna live," she replied sarcastically, showing him the unscarred skin underneath. After removing the SmartStitches, she threw it all in the trash. "I'm a miracle worker."

"That you are," he smiled, and leaning forward, he kissed her forehead. Leaning into it, she pressed his back into the backboard. Her stomach growled loudly, and she clutched her middle.

"It requests sustenance," she sighed. "Have you eaten?"

"No."

"How about eggs?" Thalia climbed out of bed. "Have any preferences?"

"Scrambled."

"Okay, scrambled eggs," Thalia smiled brightly. "Breakfast will be ready in a bit."

Skipping out of the room, she left to make breakfast. Climbing out of bed, he methodically studied her room. Almost unlike his, it was weirdly clean, her things organized and dirty laundry tucked away. But the only thing out of place in her near immaculate room was her bed. It was messed up, having been slept in to not factor, the bottom sheet dark blue, the middle sheet ice blue, and the quilt white, leaving with an ombré effect of her few favorite colors.

"Breakfast is done!" Thalia called, and he bounded into the kitchen, taking the plate she made for him. "Is it good?"

Sticking a fork into his food, he actually liked it, but made a face. "Bit gross, Thalia." He smiled, continuing to eat his food. "But I'll eat it as to not hurt your feelings."

"Is it bad?" Thalia put her face in her hands. "Oh my gosh, it's horrible isn't it?"

"Swallowing salmonella here."

Her face went blank, and without warning she smacked him in the head. "You ass! That's not funny!"

He was laughing so hard he choked on his food. "I found it funny," he snorted, and she took his food away. "Thalia, come on, it was just a joke."

"Making fun of my cooking is no joke," she shamed him, eating the eggs. When the plate was cleared she stomped to her room. Standing up, he walked to the outside her bedroom. "Thalia, I'm sorry for making fun of your cooking."

"Mean it!"

"What are we, eight?"

"Unless you wanna drop ten years and six feet underground, you better mean it, damn it."

He sighed. "I'm sorry for making fun of your  _surprisingly_  good cooking."

"'Surprisingly'? For a girl?"

"For me," he replied honestly. "I honestly didn't know you were a good cook."

The door opened, and Thalia peeked out, her blue and brown eye watching him. "Really?"

He nodded. She let him enter the room, and she shut the door behind him. His thermal shirt, which he would affectionately call hers, lay folded on her dresser. "Yes really," he assured her, kissing the top of her head. "It was good and I actually liked them."

"Which is a shame because now they're sitting in my stomach," Thalia rubbed her stomach. "So who's the loser now?"

"You're so mean to me," he teased halfheartedly, smiling and kissing the top of her head again.

"What do you say we go out and have a real date?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, we can go watch a movie or go to the beach, then go out to eat. Total day out."

"The beach sounds... fun."

"Donnie, you are the whitest crayon in the crayon box," she teased him. "You're getting some sun. One way or another." She placed her hands on her hips. "But how are we getting out without leaving the front door or setting off the alarm?"

"I made a little remote that unlocks it and allows us to leave through the back door. It locks back up then unlocks again when we come back. It's how I've been leaving without getting bugged by Triplett and the others."

"Speaking of, why haven't they come to check on us?"

"I had a bit of a breakdown when you left for... _there_ ," Donnie replied. "They agreed it's best to leave me be."

"Permanently?"

"They call and text," Donnie shrugged. "But with you back..."

"But with me back...?"

"Is it selfish to say I want some time with you alone before one of us tells them?"

Thalia shook her head. "No," she replied quietly. "It's not." A smile lit up her face. "Now come on! Beach day today and I am determined to get you some sun for your 'scientist that spends days locked in his lab' skin."

"Rude."

"We'll stop by a surf shop so I can get some sunscreen and a new swimsuit." Thalia ran to her room. "Get dressed!"

"Okay, okay. Geez," he muttered, shutting his door and changing. Opening the door, he gazed across the hall. Thalia set down her hairbrush, grabbing her phone case and card.

"We ready?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded his head. "Are you?"

"Beach is closed," she held up her phone. "Double red."

"You're kidding."

"We can swim in the pool out back," Thalia waved him off. "So how about a movie?"

"I'll decide when we get there."

She smiled. "It's a date."

***

Skye sat in her bunk, texting Donnie's and Thalia's phones.  _Anybody there?_  Skye messaged, waiting for a reply. "Come on, someone pick up," she whispered to her phone. Seconds later, somebody responded.

_What?_

_Donnie, you there?_

_Would I be texting you if I wasn't?_

_How are you?_

Donnie didn't respond for a few minutes. Then he replied.  _I don't want to talk about it._

_I'm sorry._

_Who knew?_

_.... Everyone._

_See that? I trusted you guys, we both did, and you lied to me. To her._

_Are you mad?_

_At Thalia? Why would I be mad at her? She didn't do anything wrong._

_At us._

_Mad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel._

_It's not easy breaking the news, Donnie. How easy is it to say "hey, we sent your amnesiac girlfriend after you to bring you in so you wouldn't hurt people" to you? Not easy. At all._

_Well when you phrase it like like that..._

_And it wasn't my place or anyone else's to tell you. Coulson's orders._

_Sure. If it helps you sleep at night._

He didn't respond to any more of her texts. Growling frustratedly, she stood, throwing her bunk door open. Triplett sat on the couch, eating a sandwich with a small bag of Fritos. "Any luck?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "Still being stubborn."

"The kid's angry, let him be angry," Triplett shrugged, popping a Frito chip in his mouth. "He'll calm down when Thalia gets back."

"Do you think she'll be okay?"

An electronic screeching filled the comms. "Damn!" Triplett flinched, yanking his comm out. Skye tossed hers to the table. "What the hell was that?"

"Fitz!"

The engineer came up from the lab. "Did you hear that bloody noise?"

"I thought that was you!"

"It wasn't me!"

The comms began chittering, trying to form words. "What the hell is that?"

Sticking her comm back into her ear, she heard a crackling voice. It pixelated, then she heard, "I am.... Hyde..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback! 
> 
> The next chapter is: Our Gentle Sin


	19. Our Gentle Sin

"So, did you like the movie?"

Thalia shuddered. "I like horror movies, but some are just  _not_  meant to be made."

"I liked it."

"Well you're weird for saying that." Thalia rested her head on Donnie's shoulder. "I'm so hungry."

"Relax, we're getting food. Subway?"

"I am craving tater tots and chili and hot dogs."

"Sonic? Thalia, since when are you the drive through junkie?"

"Since I began craving a quarter pound chili cheese dog with tater tots," she whined. "And we won't be driving through. Outdoor picnic!"

"You and your cravings," he muttered. "What if I began craving Nutella and marshmallow sundaes?"

"Then I'd have to say you're PMSing," Thalia shot back snarkily. "But you're not. So quit complaining. I'll buy you a cookie dough blast."

"How do you manage to stay skinny eating this stuff?"

"Because I have a high metabolism. And I don't see  _you_  complaining."

"That I do not," he laughed, starting the car. When they reached the retro drive in, Donnie helped Thalia from the car, sitting down at the stone picnic table.

"You don't want anything?" Thalia asked. Donnie shook his head. "Not even a Nutella and marshmallow sundae?"

Drawing her close, Donnie pressed his lips to her cheek, tasting the sweet saltiness of the movie theater popcorn they'd eaten earlier. "Positive," he whispered.

"Don't make me feel bad."

"I won't," he assured her, nudging her to the ordering board. Later, when the food arrived, she took a bite of her chili dog, offering him a tater tot. With a smile and a halfhearted eye roll, he took it from her, popping it in his mouth. "Happy?"

"Here," she pushed the container of tater tots towards him. "You need to gain some weight."

"And eating greasy fast food is going to get that job done?"

"They're good," she admitted. Taking one from the container and popping it in her mouth, she moaned languidly, savoring the taste. Donnie gave her an odd stare. "What?"

"That is not a noise you should make in public," he said blankly. "Ever."

"What about at home?" she asked nonchalantly. His hand hovered in front of his mouth, a tater tot pinched between his thumb and index fingers. "Would it be okay to make at home?"

He began stammering, and she laughed wholeheartedly. "I'm messing with you, Donnie," she pouted her lower lip exaggeratedly. "Lighten up, kid."

"'Kid'?" Donnie snorted. "We're the same age!"

"I'm seven weeks older," she stated matter-of-factly. "So you're younger than I."

"Cougar."

"Bite your tongue, heathen!" Thalia slapped the food from his hand. He laughed, which caused her to take another bite of her hot dog, smear chili sauce on her lips, and kiss him on the cheek. Pulling back, his cheek was smeared with the orange red of the sauce and a few pieces of melted cheese.

"Well," Donnie licked the sauce away, "I prefer your Minty Shine stuff from Victoria's Secret."

"You're impossible," Thalia wiped away the sauce on her face with a napkin.

"Coming from the girl that's not supposed to exist?"

"Oh, now that's low," a devious smile lit up her face. "I'm gonna make you pay for that."

"Are you now?"

"Yep," she mumbled through the rest of her hot dog. "Big time."

"I'm at a loss coming up with a 'Thalia-approved' punishment," he replied sarcastically. "You're gonna need to come up with something creative this time."

"Oh, horrors," she waved her hands in the air. Tossing her trash into the can, they climbed back into the car. Her phone began going off to the tune of "Don't Wait" by Mapei. "Crap, it's my dad! Silence!"

Answering the phone, she said, "Hey!"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, you are in so much trouble," Ian replied. "I've been worried sick. A week of radio silence and now you answer? What the hell?"

She paled. "Nobody told you?"

"What did 'nobody' tell me?"

"I was sick with argenteum poisoning? Mom's sister had to come get me? Took me to Asgard? None of this is ringing a bell?"

"Agent Coulson didn't regale me of the details," Ian's voice sounded strained. "Thank you for telling me. Now if you'll excuse me."

The line went dead. "Damn it."

"What?"

"He didn't know about me being sick," Thalia slapped her forehead with her palm. "So guess who's calling the head honchos and letting them know?"

"How long do you think we have?"

"Three days at most?" Thalia shrugged as Donnie started the car. "Skye's been using the excuse that none of their phones were working and they had to call from a pay phone."

"Where's this 'pay phone' located?"

"Hour and a half north," she pointed in a random direction until Donnie corrected her. "And he's still in Brazil, cleaning up his security crews. So it'll be a few days until he can get up here."

"Well then let's go home," Donnie reversed the car and began their drive home. "Less we leave, less trouble we'll be in."  
~*~  
"Crap, crap, crap!" Skye ran throughout the plane. "Coulson, Quinn's calling!"

Swiping the phone from her hand, Coulson slid his finger across the screen. "Yes?"

"So, my computer tells me your phones are working again," Ian spat. "So imagine my shock when I haven't been able to contact my daughter for a week. And when I am, she says she's been with her aunt. On Asgard! For argenteum poisoning!"

"Ian..."

"No, it's getting better," Ian stopped him. "Apparently, she wasn't aware you hadn't notified me. Her father, who just got her back, didn't know she spent an unidentified amount of time in another dimension; he who relies on you to keep me in the loop about his child doesn't know her temporary caretakers let her aunt take her without consulting me!"

"The argenteum was killing her because of her delicate half-human state. And since it also killed Asgardians, imagine our relief when her aunt showed up out of the blue to heal her. On Asgard! And another thing, how has Thalia been able to contact you? We believe she's still on Asgard."

"Apparently not," he replied sarcastically.

"Coulson, what if Amora took Thalia back to Donnie?" Skye suggested. "After all, Thalia cares for him a lot, and if Amora knew it, maybe when they came back, she chose to take Thalia to Donnie. You know, to make sure he's okay?"

"I'm going to have to call you back," Coulson replied, ending the call. "So those two are purposefully avoiding us?"

"I feel like a kid who's wrists just got slapped by a ruler," Skye looked down, her phone in her hands. "Donnie still answers my texts, so maybe Thalia's a bit disoriented from dimension jumping. And being slowly poisoned. And being drowned; you know, maybe it's just the reality of her situation finally sinking in."

"Could be," Coulson answered. "Have you made contact today?"

"Yeah, earlier this morning, he said Thalia wasn't feeling too great. She blamed it on being stuck in another dimension for a week."

"Yikes," Jemma cringed. "Poor girl. Could also be because her lungs are still healing. She'd be feeling pretty sluggish until it remedies."

"Well then we'll have to wait them out," Coulson shrugged. "It's likely that when he gets here, he'll be taking them with him. And they have to leave the house before Ian can have them."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Swallowing the iron pill, it settled into her stomach with uneasiness. "This is all your fault."

"How is it my fault?"

"That stupid movie's making it hard for me to take my pill."

"Still not getting how it's my fault."

"You picked the movie." Thalia curled up into a ball on the couch. "And now my stomach's churning."

Donnie sat down next to her. "I doubt it was the movie," he stated his opinion. "Maybe it was the food. Could be too rich for your system."

"I deal with your cooking, and you're saying Sonic food is too rich for me?"

"Oh, so we're making fun of my cooking now?"

"You made fun of mine."

"That's because you barely cook."

"And that's because you barely let me." Thalia yawned. "I'm going to sleep this off." Pulling a blanket off the back of the couch, Thalia covered herself in the plushy tan blanket. Under the blanket, she took her snowflake necklace in her hand, admiring the intricate metal and crystal structure. "Donnie, did you make this?"

"Make what?"

"Don't play coy with me, Donnie," she said softly. Pulling him under the blanket, the only sources of light were the flickering stray bolts of electricity between her fingers. "Did you make my necklace?"

"What if I said no?"

"I wouldn't believe you."

"And if I said yes?"

Sitting up, she shifted into his lap, pressing her lips to his cheek. "I'd have to say that's the sweetest thing you've ever lied about. Having my dad give it to me?"

"I was nervous," he said quietly, and she laughed softly, kissing his pulse point on his neck. A tingling warmth spread through his veins. "What if you didn't like it?"

"But I did." Another kiss. "What kind of flower was it?"

"This flower found in Russia that survived the Ice Age," he answered, and was rewarded with another surge of warmth. "The irony abounds, doesn't it?"

"I'm Greek."

"I wasn't talking about that," he murmured.

"I know."

The silence between them hung heavy, dissolving when Thalia ran her finger down his neck, just above his jugular. "But nothing happened to me, did there?"

"No," he assured her, craning his head to kiss her cheek. She laughed, his jaw bumping her nose. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It was an accident."

"I know," she laughed, kissing his collarbone. "Hey, didn't we say we'd go swimming in the pool?"

"We did, but you look like you're about to pass out from exhaustion," Donnie yawned after Thalia. "So swimming's a no go."

Thalia's head perked up. "Whoa!"

"What?"

"Something  _huge_  is coming," she climbed off the couch, unlocked the system and back door, then stepped out onto the back patio. The sky was pitch black on the horizon. "You see that?"

"Damn," Donnie let out a low whistle. "What is that?"

"A really,  _really_ big thunderstorm," Thalia placed her hands on her hips. "I can feel the electricity coming off it."

"But that's miles away!"

"Exactly."

"Wow; no wonder the beach is closed."

Looking up, a fat raindrop landed on his forehead, freezing solid. Scraping the ice away, he pulled Thalia inside, locking the door and the alarm. "I'm not having you get struck by lightning."

She zapped him lightly. "Have no fear, tender heart, I'll listen."

"How about omelets for dinner?"

"Will you show me how to make one?" she inquired, cocking her head to the side like a curious puppy.

"Okay. But you have to show me another one of the movies you got."

"We just watched one earlier today!"

"That's the deal," Donnie replied. "Or no deal."

"Fine."

"Well, since that's decided, will you set up shop? I gotta wash my hands. You should, too. Once you're done."

"Okay, Gordon Ramsay," Thalia snorted. She brought out a frying pan and began bringing out various ingredients from the fridge. Once everything was set up, she stood next to him at the kitchen sink, soaping up her tiny hands. "Donnie."

"Hm?"

"Blow into my hands," she nudged him, forming a circle with her soapy hands. A clear film of bubble fluid formed, and when he blew into it, it became a bubble, frozen solid as it landed in his hand. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he replied, his lips pulling up into a small smile. "It's something else."  
~*~  
Forcing his eyes open, Donnie listened to the pounding of the rain on the roof above, feeling the walls vibrate with the sheer force of the torrential downpour.

_"Yo, Gill!"_

_Donnie turned his head to see his dorm room door shaking. Opening it, Seth hurried into the room, his hair sopping wet. "Seth, what's with the--"_

_"Really bad rainstorm," he panted. Opening the blinds, a streak of lightning struck down in their quad, burning the cement. "Strike that, pun not intended, a really bad thunderstorm."_

_"Why not go back to your own room?" Donnie asked as Seth threw himself down on Donnie's bed. "Remember, we're trying to build this under the radar."_

_"Speaking of, how's the battery coming along?"_

_"The quarter scales work."_

_Seth raised an eyebrow. "But?"_

_"But then the heat increases at a 4:1 ratio with scale, and it melts down. Learned that the hard way."_

_Seth squeezed the water from his hair into a dirty shirt from Donnie's hamper. "How?"_

_"Battery acid on skin? Not fun."_

_"Ooh," Seth cringed. "Definitely not fun."_

Blinking away the memory, he was awakened further by the sound of crackling thunder, shaking the walls. Climbing out of bed, he walked across the hall and opened Thalia's door. The blinds were drawn shut on her window, and a small lamp was on, illuminating the room in a warm glow. Thalia was curled up on her bed, her colorful sheets undisturbed except where she laid. She sighed happily, and he padded back to his room, now getting a first glance at his alarm clock. "7:18 in the morning?" he muttered, taking a peek outside. Rain still pounded the ground, lightning split the sky. Thalia emerged from her room, running her brush through her hair.

"That's one hell of a thunderstorm, isn't it?" she asked, placing her brush on the dresser. Peering inside his room, she announced, "Laundry day today. Gather your stuff!"

Dragging a laundry basket behind her, Thalia took it to the laundry room, getting her clothes started. "Thalia, what're we having for breakfast?"

"Cereal!" she called from the back of the house. "Make yourself a bowl!" Smiling wryly, he poured himself a bowl of cereal. When she padded back into the kitchen, her face fell into an annoyed scowl. "Really? My cereal?" She flexed her fingers, and a small flurry swirled over her head, then vanished. His wry smile dropped.

"What was  _that_?" Donnie almost dropped his cereal. "Did you just form a  _flurry_?"

"What?"

"I just saw that!" Donnie gestured to the air above her head. "You just made a flurry!"

"I did?" Backing away, she flexed her fingers in a similar fashion. A small white cloud swirled into existence, then disappeared when she balled her fingers into a fist. "Okay, that's weird." She looked down, then looked up again. "I almost forgot. We're out of detergent. I'm gonna run and get some. Need anything?"

"For you to stay here," Donnie set his bowl down. "Do you not see outside?"

"I'm pretty sure I've survived worse," Thalia frowned. Putting on a pair of jeans, a jacket and her boots, she grabbed the car keys. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Who said you're driving a car?"

"It can't be that hard."

"Driving in the torrential rain with no license is difficult," Donnie tried reasoning. "But if the electricity the storm's generating is messing with your head enough that you're getting thrown off, it's not-- it's not safe."

"We got a crap ton of laundry to get done. How are we supposed to know when the storm'll let up enough to leave?"

"Maybe when you can't sense the electricity anymore?"

"Oh." Tossing the keys to the table, she sat down on the couch. "Well then come here."

Sitting down next to her, he let out a noise of protest as she pushed him down onto his back, placing her arms on either side of his head, her fingers toying with his hair. "To what do I credit this unexpected yet totally appreciated visit in my close proximity?"

"The reason why I have lain myself upon you is because you're cold."

"And you think straddling me is going to change that?"

"'Just because you have cold skin doesn't mean I can't warm it up."

"There's a joke that I'm resisting to make, following the phrase making me warm again." He wrapped his arms around her. She traced his features, his eyes closing as her fingers fluttered over his eyes. He made a content noise deep in his throat.

"Someone's happy," Thalia noted in a teasing manner. Bringing her head down, she nuzzled his neck, kissing his pulse point. He groaned happily, pulling at her jacket. "I still owe you a bite."

"For what?"

"For biting me in the shoulder," she pouted. Donnie opened his eyes, watching her with a sleepy fascination. "It still hurts," she added, rubbing the lightly tender patch of skin for exaggerated effect. Had Aunt Amora noticed it when she put that dress on her?

"I'm sorry," he replied, his voice having a thick, syrupy type of husk on top of its usual deepness.  _How does a teenage boy have a voice that deep?_ Thalia asked herself as she moved onto a couch cushion. When he sat up, she pulled the shoulder of her jacket down, exposing a bare, camisole spaghetti strap clad shoulder. A pinkish, crescent shaped set of teeth marks was still on her skin, now almost entirely faded. "Is this it?" he asked, his finger tracing over the C-shaped mark. She nodded, and he kissed her shoulder, letting ice numb the pain away. Pulling back, he cupped her face.

"How did I get so lucky?" he asked, his tone full of bitterness.

"What do you mean?"

"Lucky enough to meet a girl who liked me," he replied. "Even after everything I've done to possibly hurt her."

"I'm not hurt."

"It wasn't you who tripped over your own feet and did this to you," he said quietly. "It wasn't you who tried giving someone blood only to find out it was hurting them."

She placed her hand over his, only to have him move away. "What do you mean?"

"When I gave you my blood, I didn't know how much of an effect it would have on you," he said. "Carroll had said your fever was so high it burned off medicines within an hour. So after I gave you some, she said there was a compound in my blood that was lowering your temperature. Later I found out it was the nitrogen in my blood. Well, in my everything, apparently."

"Nitrogen in the bloodstream? That could kill someone."

"Well, it didn't kill this someone. But a few hours after I gave blood, your core temps were fluctuating so much, you'd have a raging fever one moment and then you'd have frostbite the next." He hid his hands. "My blood turned out to be incompatible to you."

"Well then how did I--?"

"Can't say," he shrugged. "I wasn't allowed to go anywhere near the surgery wing for hours, and when I was, Carroll said she was trying to figure out a way to slow the rate at which your body tried burning off the compounds in my blood. At one point, your heart gave out from the constant stress and fighting you were putting up with; it was beating so fast it went arrhythmic and just stopped. Then you stopped breathing soon afterwards and died. And then like the flick of a switch, your heart started back up. Sometime between your heart stopping and starting up again, your body stopped fighting and just-- it just stopped trying to reject me in your system. Just let my blood integrate into yours."

Thalia looked confused, but not the slightest bit shocked. Had she expected such a reaction? "Afterwards, you just slept, unmoving; peaceful. And that week felt like years. Years of torture."

She reached out to touch him, but he flinched away, sitting on the far end of the couch. "I beat myself up constantly over it after you woke up. 'How could someone so damaged not want to fix herself? Why would she want to fix someone else?' were questions I asked myself each time you visited. When I burned my cheek on that soldering iron and cut my hand open on that circuit board, you wouldn't scold me, you'd just grab your first aid kit, sit me down and stitch me up." He looked up, anger clouding his features. "And don't say that the broken fix each other, Thalia. You're not broken. You're  _shattered_. Humanity has beaten you, tortured you, broken everything there is to break, and then left you to die. Why would you still want to save them when..." Donnie let out a strangled sob, "...when they've done this to you?"

"I don't know," Thalia shrugged. "Maybe because... I don't know." She slid her jacket back on her shoulder. "I don't know."

"Then when you figure it out, you can find me and tell me," he stood up, heading to his room. The door shut, and she heard the definitive sound of the lock turning. Standing, she grabbed the keys off the table, unlocked the alarm and back door, and slipped out, sticking as close to the house as possible while making her way to the car. Sliding into the driver's seat, she started the car like she'd seen Donnie do it, then the electricity in her head ran along the entirety of the car, sensing what she could control and what she'd have to touch. Soon after, she was driving (well, not exactly driving because she found she could manipulate the entire car and pretty much took it from there) to the store, parking in a spot, and climbing out into the light drizzle. Her sturdy boots gripped the ground with their rugged bottoms, navigating the slick pavement inside. Picking up a basket, she wandered the aisles of the store until she found what she needed. Tossing a bag of Gain flings! into the basket, she passed a group of teenage boys playing with the poster display.

Sidestepping them, she entered the book aisle, scanning the titles for something to spark her interest. Adding a few books that Donnie might like to her basket, the boys entered the aisle, tossing curious looks her way. Until she felt a tug on her jacket.

Looking down, a girl with red pigtails looked up at her. "I can't find my mommy."

"Where was she last?"

"She was getting food for our puppy Charlie and said I could go pick a book to take home, and when I went back to her, she wasn't there." Her green eyes began to brim tears. "I'm scared!"

"Come with me," Thalia held out a hand, and the little girl took it. "What's your name?"

"Dylan," the girl hiccuped. "It's Dylan."

"Dylan, I'm Thalia. Why don't we go up front and have a grownup see if they can find her?"

Nodding, Dylan walked with Thalia up to the cashier line, speaking with a woman about Dylan's mom. The woman spoke with Thalia, then said a few things into her radio. Sitting down with Dylan, she looked at Thalia's necklace. "Miss Tally-uh, that's a pretty necklace."

"My boyfriend made it for me."

"He's good," Dylan replied. "Why'd he make it a snowflake?"

"I like snow," she admitted. "And he knows that."

"Wow." Dylan held the charm. "Do you think it's got magic in it? That'd be so cool!"

Thalia laughed. "Magic? To make snow?"

"Yeah. You'd be like Elsa!"

"My boyfriend calls me Khione."

"My brother Robbie knows her!" Dylan clapped. "He read about her in a book. She's  _goddess_  of snow."

"Wow, you're smart."

"If he calls you Khione, can you make snow?" Dylan implored.

"Promise you won't tell?"

Dylan nodded excitedly. Swirling her fingers through the air, white clouds trailed after them, forming a small flurry over Dylan's red hair. "Wow! So pretty, Miss Tally-uh!"

"Dylan?"

"Mommy!" Dylan jumped off the bench, wrapping her arms around her mother's legs. "That nice girl kept me company."

"Well tell that nice girl thank you," her mother nudged her.

"Thank you!" Dylan smiled. As they left, she stood, checking out her things. Opening her new umbrella, Thalia quickly flitted to the car, tossing the things in the trunk. Shaking off the umbrella, she tucked it inside next to her things, and shut the door. Tucking herself into the car, she drove back to the house, unloaded the car, and managed to get inside before the rain started up again. Settling onto the couch, she contemplated knocking on his door, but realized it'd be futile. He wanted her to tell him why she cared so damn much, so she would.

When she figured why she did care so damn much.  
~*~  
As the thunderstorm pounded on, she stirred a spoon around the inside of her bowl, stirring the concoction of vanilla ice cream, fudge and peanuts around. At first, she thought it'd be a fun idea, but then the storm knocked the power out, and she ate her ice cream in silence until she reluctantly reached out and turned on the lights. Spooning the rest of her ice cream into her mouth, she rinsed her bowl and placed it in the sink, making a mental note that it was Donnie's night to do dishes. If he ever came out of his room.

 _That'd be almost two days he's been in there_ , Thalia though sourly. Pulling back the blinds on the back door, the glass was streaked with raindrops. She ran her finger down the glass, watching it steam in response to the sudden change of temperature. Then the steam turned to frost, forming a butterfly on the glass. The glint of her wrist cuff peeked out from her sweater sleeve, and with a single thought, her skin frosted over, changing to her frosty dress. Holding her hand out palm up, she imagined the molecules making up the humidity in the air solidifying, coming together until she felt ice. Looking in her hand, a single slip of ice, barely bigger than a quarter, sat in her pale palm. With another thought and a little effort, the ice melted, the water evaporating into the air.

And with her last final thought, she shifted back to warmth, her cuffs fading away.  _Interesting_.

Dragging herself to her room and back, she placed a Redbox movie into the player. Popping popcorn, the previews played for various movies. All the while, she eyed Donnie's door, hoping to feel, something,  _anything_. But the only thing she felt was the gentleness of his bioelectricity, calm like water. He was sleeping.

Twenty minutes into her movie, her phone buzzed.  _Anyone there?_

_Hi, Skye._

_You feeling better?_

_Yeah._

_Do you know what Donnie's problem is? He isn't answering a single one of my texts._

_That might be my fault. He wants me to explain why I care so much about people even though they try to hurt me. Locked himself in his room. Probably also shut off his phone._

_Did you think about it?_

_I did, but I can't seem to put a finger on it._

_Well, I hope you figure it out. Your dad said he's about to leave and should be here within a day or two._

Placing her phone on the couch, she continued the movie. Minutes blurred by, and her head rested on the couch cushion. Her eyes drooped shut, and the movie droned on, aiding her to sleep.

_Playing in the garden in front of the villa, Thalia handed a trowel to the gardener. "Miss Nina, how long will it take the tree to grow?"_

_"Long time," the aging woman replied. "Cherry blossom tree take long time."_

_"Why, Miss Nina?"_

_"Trees need love, like people," Nina explained. "Need nurturing. You water it every day and it will grow. But you can't be mad at the tree as it gets bigger; that's what trees do. Same with people; you cannot get mad at them for doing things in their nature: being clumsy, being smart, being human things."_

_"Like that Timmy Truman in my class who broke Sandra's project."_

_"Like him."_

_"But he did that on purpose!"_

_"Young Quinn, you must understand. Why did he break it?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Then how do you know it was on purpose?" Nina sat back on her heels. "People do things because they need love, attention. And when they don't get it, they'll shrivel up and take it out on their surroundings. This tree, if you didn't water it every day, what would happen to it?"_

_"It would take all the water and nutrients from the grass and flowers?"_

_Nina nodded. "And since it had to steal, it would grow gnarled, ugly. Things like that reflect on them. People do bad things because they're not given what they need. And what do they need?"_

_"Love and nurturing."_

_"Like this tree." Nina began throwing dirt over the bag of roots. "And when tree grows, it become beautiful thing, live long life. Will provide for many things, many creatures; it'll give back for what it took in."_

_"You're very smart, Miss Nina."_

_"You're a patient second grader, young Quinn," Nina smiled, reaching over to pet her hair. A dog growled, and they both turned around, seeing one of the guard's dogs stalking towards them. "Stay here. I go get guardian."_

_When the old woman stood, the dog charged. "Miss Nina!" Thalia jumped up, protecting the old woman by stretching her arms out. Catching the charging dog, it attacked ferociously, missing the old woman. "Go, Miss Nina!" she said. The woman climbed the stairs, heading inside. Pushing the dog off, she backed up, reaching for a trowel. The dog jumped again, and she wrapped her small fingers around the handle just as the dog's teeth bit down into her shoulder._

_She screamed, pain lancing through her as the dog's teeth tore through skin and muscles, striking something deep down that she felt in her bones. A guard burst out the front door, prying the dog off her, and a pained whimper escaped her, her other hand touching the throbbing area. It came back covered in blood. The loud ringing in her ears didn't muffle the bark of the dog, nor did the large black dots filling her vision block the familiar shape of the guard's handgun flying out and lighting up her vision in an explosion of white._

_"Thalia, look at me," the guard said, and her eyes drifted over to him. He held up a hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"_

_Her vision began blurring. "Two...four...three....four....it's getting really cold..."_

_"Hang on kiddo," he replied, laying her out flat. Pulling out a rag from his pocket, he clamped it down on the bite, pressing against the front and back of her shoulder. The pain suddenly made everything that she saw as double refocus into supreme clarity, then give way to blackness._

_Opening her eyes, she looked around. Inside a sterile hospital room, she was completely alone, the drone of medical equipment and people outside forming a white noise. Flowers and balloons took up the space on the bedside table. Someone knocked on the door, entering with an easy smile. "She's awake, Mister Quinn."_

_"Sweetheart?" He came in, holding his jacket in his hands. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry."_

_She yawned, noticing a dull ache and a faint pulling in her chest."Where's Miss Nina?"_

_"She decided to go home," he answered. "She's really rattled."_

_"What I'd like to know is how she got attacked," the doctor implored._

_"A guard's dog broke out a few days prior, and must have somehow found its way back." Her dad looked down. "It was rabid."_

_"Well, in this situation, I would start her on a rabies course straight away. But her blood tests came back negative. She dodged a pretty big bullet, Ian."_

_Sitting down in the chair, Ian looked at Thalia, who gazed groggily at the bed. "What's the damage?"_

_"It looks like her muscles went through a paper shredder," the doctor replied. "And one of the teeth sliced into her left axillary, so it's a wonder she didn't lose a lot of blood, well, more than what she did already, with her going into shock and all."_

_Thalia whimpered, touching her shoulder. Now being awake enough to examine herself, a sterile bandage covered her left shoulder, her arm up in a sling. "Twenty-five stitches to sew it all back up. So no school until her pediatrician in the US gives the green light. Her doctor will take it from there."_

_"Is it okay to take her home?"_

_"I suppose so," the doctor shrugged. "I'll find a wheelchair and her discharge papers."_

_When he left, Ian turned to Thalia. "Miss Nina said you saved her."_

_"He would've killed her," Thalia replied, sitting up in bed. "And I like Miss Nina."_

_"He could've killed you, too." Ian's gaze was stern. "You were at thirty percent blood loss when we got you to the hospital."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"Don't be sorry," he kissed her forehead. "Be careful next time." He picked up a glossy black box. "You know, Ms. Sato sent you candy."_

_"Ms. Sato? Your shareholder in Japan?"_

_"Yep. She likes you a lot, Thalia, and was very worried when she heard. Along with Mr. Cominksi, and Mrs. Robinson..."_

_"He's from Canada and Mrs. Robinson's from Brazil," Thalia said. When the doctor opened the door and wheeled the wheelchair in, Ian stood, easing her from the bed and into the chair. "Ow, ow..."_

_"Sorry honey," he pressed a kiss to her head. "Carlos, have all this brought to the car."_

_The guard nodded, gathering the various stuffed animals, candies, and flowers. Before Carlos' hand reached for it, Thalia snatched a grey elephant off one of the tables, squeezing it in her hand. "Daddy, can I ask you something?"_

_"Shoot, kiddo."_

_"I want to get that guard a new puppy," she said with finality. "He loved Mona a lot. He'll be heartbroken."_

_"'Heartbroken'? That's not a word on your vocabulary list."_

_"And yet I know how to spell and pronounce hydrochlorothiazide. And Tet_ _rodotoxin B."_

_"Those are big words," he laughed, wheeling her to the car. "Big words for a big brain."_

Shaking her head, Thalia opened her eyes, and was in her bed. Had she migrated to her own bed somehow? No, because she wore her jean leggings and camisole, her sweater gone. And her boots were at the foot of the bed. Sitting up, and after making sure the door was shut, she took off her camisole, studying her left shoulder in the mirror. No scars, like the rest of her. Except for the four, daunting crescent moons across her ribs. The rest of the memory came back: getting to their house, finding a little German Shepherd puppy and naming it for the guard (since then, she always heard jokes about its name), the shock when the stitches came out and not a single bit scarred. The agonizing weeks of physical therapy...

Clearing her head, she changed into new clothes, feeling electrified with her new found memories. Picking up her phone, she walked into the living room with her hairdryer. Pinching the wall prongs between her fingers, she turned it on, blasting hot air into the cracks of the door. Streams of water began dripping down the door, cold air from outside leaking into the house.

Her phone buzzed.  _What's with the noise?_

_Oh, so you're up?_

_I've been up._

_Then come out of your man cave already!_  She growled in frustration at his response.

_Not until you tell me why._

_Oh come on!_

_No. I'm not usually firm with sticking to my word around you, but I'm not budging._

_Fine._

Turning off her phone and the hairdryer, she twisted the doorknob. The door opened, and she turned the hairdryer back on, melting the ice from the lock. Dancing along her bare arms, the cold outside air made goosebumps rise along her skin, setting her hair on edge. Her breath steamed. Quickly shutting the door, she placed her hairdryer in the bathroom. Tugging on the hems of her high waist shorts, she knocked on his door. When he opened it, he was still in his pajamas; well, still in pajama pants and a pair of socks. His chest was bare, the faint impression of his sheets all over his bare skin. "Yes?"

"I'm going to check in with the team," she said awkwardly, twining her fingers together. "And I might not be back for a while because they might need to do a check up on me."

"Okay." He rubbed his eyes. "Anything else?"

"Uh, no," she said. "So, I'll see you later."  
~*~  
"She's coming up," Skye bounced on her heels. "There she is!"

Exiting the lab, Jemma stood with Skye and waited for Thalia to come up the ramp. When she did, she looked a little pale, her dark hair a wild mess. It stuck to her sweater, which nearly dwarfed her. "Hi, guys."

"Hey," Skye sped to meet her, wrapping her arms around Thalia's small body. "We've been worried."

"I know," she replied. Separating herself from Skye, Thalia turned to Jemma. "I suppose I have to get looked at."

"Of course you do," Jemma replied. "I need to see if any antidote your aunt administered is still in your system. We'll need one in case anyone else finds anymore argenteum."

"I thought it killed humans."

"Upon direct entry into your bloodstream, it does," Jemma corrected. "But indirect contact with it, like skin contact, causes it to build up in the lungs until you suffocate. I believe the antidote is still in your lungs, well trace residues of it, anyways. Now, checkup time."

Following the biochemist into the lab, she sat down in a chair, removing her sweater. Sticking wireless electrodes to her neck and under both collarbones, Jemma began monitoring her vitals through a tab. Thalia rubbed at her shoulder. Jemma looked up. "Something wrong?"

"Another memory came back."

"Really? What was it?"

"It was when I was six or seven," Thalia replied. "Miss Nina, the gardener, was planting a cherry blossom tree in front of this villa--"

Skye flinched. "Sorry, that brought up bad memories."

"Anyways, Miss Nina was explaining this philosophy of life and trees, and this rabid dog came up behind us. I tackled the dog and told her to go get someone. I then tried to hit the dog with a trowel," Thalia let her fingers skim across her shoulder. "And it bit me."

"Where?"

"In my shoulder." Thalia looked down. "And at the angle it bit me, I'm lucky I still have my arm and shoulder."

"It got you under the arm?" Jemma inquired. Setting the tablet down, Thalia held out her arm, and taking the girl's wrist, she drew a bite mark with her fingers. Thalia nodded, then drew another one with a higher arc, reaching her shoulder socket. "It slipped its grip and got me again, biting deeper," she added. "The doctor said it was like that specific region of muscles went through a paper shredder. And one of its teeth clipped my axillary, so I naturally lost some blood from it."

"Did you faint?"

"After the guard started to put pressure on it to staunch the bleeding." She dropped her arm. "I ended up getting twenty-five stitches for it."

"Was he mad?"

"My dad?" Thalia snorted. "Yeah, he was pretty pissed. But he was more in awe; his daughter putting someone else's life before hers. I wish I could say he was proud, but I couldn't really tell."

Jemma set the tab down, picking up a strange instrument. "Now, I'm going to need you to stay as still as possible. This might feel funny," she said, functioning as a warning before slipping a pair of gloves on, lifting the instrument, and opening Thalia's mouth. Sliding the neck of the instrument into her throat, Jemma gasped. "Oh, my word..."

"Looking into an Asgardian's lung." Skye picked at her fingernails. "Only you could be fascinated by that."

"Oh, hush!" Jemma waved her hand in Skye's general direction. "There seems to be some kind of scarring in here..."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Thalia, scars. Not the scars from that rather unfortunate accident of Anna's, but from long before. They look years old." Jemma withdrew the instrument, cleaning it and setting it down. "No traces of the antidote in your system. Your aunt must have made enough for one."

Ward knocked. "Simmons, Coulson wants the results of the checkup."

Thalia paled. "No..." She jumped up. "You!" She clenched her jaw. "You did this to me!"

"Thalia, stop!"

"I was eight!" Her voice rose to upset octaves. "I wanted to be an environmental scientist, follow in my dad's footsteps!" Her vision began to blur as tears swam in her eyes. "He promised me-- he promised me that the next day, I would get to see my grandma before she passed away. I went to sleep, not knowing any better. Then I woke up and you were there."

"Ward," Skye said through gritted teeth, "what did you do?"

"I woke up, and you were in my closet, trying to cajole me into leaving the house as it burned," Thalia's lip began to tremble. "I wouldn't go with you. So you tried taking me from the house unconscious. But the house was too far gone, and you left me there to die, the air choking the life out of me." She looked him in the eye. "I'm like this and it's your fault. I'm missing eleven years of my life because of you!"

Lunging for him, he spun around, pinning her against the wall, breaking a beaker neck and pointing the jagged edge at her throat. Skye picked up an ICER, pointing it at him. "I should make you put that against your own neck," she seethed, and his hand began to shake as he turned the glass weapon on himself. Skye gasped. "I should make you feel every ounce of fear, pain, and helplessness I did. I should have you know what it feels like to be left at the mercy of someone else. Someone who won't show you any."

"Thalia," he strained. "Don't do this."

"You're gonna ask for forgiveness, after you didn't give me any?" Thalia tilted her chin up. "How quaint." As the glass pressed against his skin, she said, "You must be one sick son of a bitch to do that to a child and not expect similar retribution. How did you live? Function in society for eleven years knowing you destroyed a little girl's life?" Ward began to shake as the glass pierced his skin, making blood well up under the sharpest points of glass. "Do I look like a little girl anymore? A little girl who couldn't defend myself?

"But I won't kill you," she spat, and Ward began shaking, dropping the beaker neck and pressing his hand against his neck. "I'll let someone else do it. God knows you deserve that much." Grabbing her sweater, she stormed out of the lab, leaving the two women to deal with him.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Playing with machinery on his desk, Donnie jammed a screwdriver into the battery panel on an old radio when the house shook. Looking out the window, the car was in the driveway. Opening his door, he heard soft sobs and upon further inspection he found Thalia against the front door, softly crying with her knees tucked into her chest. "Thalia, what's wrong?"

Looking up, she stood, her eyes glassy with tears as she ran towards him, burying her face in his chest. "I couldn't do it..."

"Couldn't do what?"

"He hurt me so much and I couldn't show him," she whimpered. "I could've hurt him so bad, like he did to me, and yet, I couldn't do it." He wrapped an arm around her back, his left hand cradling her head, her sobs sounding like howls.

"Thalia,  _calm down_. What happened?"

"It was Ward," she hiccuped, wiping her eyes. "He-- I was getting my checkup and then he just showed up and everything clicked."

"Shh," Donnie stroked her hair, and she leaned into him, whining softly. Sitting down on the couch, she began gasping heavily, and he shook her gently. "Thalia, calm down," he said gently. When she didn't, he sighed. "Thalia Lorelei Quinn, you need to calm down," he insisted firmly. She looked up, a knowing spark in her eyes. Though glassy, her eyes reflected the smile on her face.

"I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

"No, you're just being a drama queen, is all," he replied, pecking her cheek. "Nothing out of the ordinary," he added, kissing her again. But instead of feeling her normal skin, he felt a different kind. One that moved against his softly, gentle yet strong, tasting like salty tears and mint...

His arms tightened around her, and her hands framed his face, keeping their kiss gentle. When they finally parted, she touched her forehead to his, her hands still on his face. "God, I needed that," Thalia breathed, her fingertips playing with the ends of hair around his ears. "Maybe I need another one," she said softly, and maintaining his grip on her, Donnie eased an arm from around her, reaching his hand up to brush his thumb across her cheek. A thin line of frost formed on her cheek, going up until it reached her eye. She exhaled softly, and the frost line melted. She began to lean against him, her eyes drifting closed.

"Thalia, go to sleep."

"But I'm not tired," she replied sleepily.

"Yes, you are," he said. "You've just expended God knows how much emotional energy coming face to face with the man that did all those bad things to you. Then had yourself a good meltdown followed by kissing me. You're exhausted; take a nap."

Yawning, she finally drifted off. Setting her down on the couch, he stood, heading to the kitchen to make dinner. Something simple, yet required cooking; he ultimately decided on finger foods. As he begun dragging out different bagged finger foods, his gaze kept falling to her, completely and wholly passed out on the couch. The soft sounds of rain pattering against the roof made him scowl. Sliding a cookie sheet with their food into the oven, he opened the blinds on the back door, seeing rain begin to fall in sheets. Nightfall only added to the inky eeriness as thunder boomed in the distance.

Entering the living room, he knelt to Thalia's side, pulling off her sneakers. She turned over to face him, and a large strike of lightning lit up the outside before a house shaking clap of thunder rocked the windows. But she still slept on, her head nestled in the crook of her elbow. Covering her in a blanket, he returned to the kitchen, keeping an eye on the timer. When the timer dinged, she was startled awake, making the lights surge. "Bad dream?"

"No, I just-- I was..." she kept stumbling over her words. Shaking her head, she began again. "I wasn't dreaming, I was just drifting and the noise woke me up."

"Well, I would say you woke up in time," Donnie informed her. "Dinner's done."

"You didn't have to cook," she regarded him with an embarrassed blush and a smile. "We could've had sandwiches."

"'We could've had sandwiches'?" Donnie let his mouth fall open. "Maybe the world is ending after all."

"No!" She ran forward and waved her hands in front of him. "I appreciate the gesture. And warm food goes well to end a cold night. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, it just started raining out of nowhere," he commented as Thalia picked through the French fries for the small, crispy pieces. "I thought it wasn't supposed to rain anymore."

She shrugged. "It happens. Look what happened to Joplin, Missouri."

"But that was a freak tornado, not a freak thunderstorm."

"Started out that way," she said quietly. "Can you make my plate? I need to go get some things."

She vanished to her room, coming back with a few blankets and the Redbox case he'd seen two days before. "Watching another movie?"

"I need to return them tomorrow, so I figured, 'What the hell, who cares?'"

Inserting the movie into the player, she tossed the blankets to the couch. "What, you're not watching it with me?"

"What is it?"

"I think you know."

"Okay, I'm coming," he hurried over with their food, and the movie started, being narrated by the iconic John C. Reilly. Thalia looked up to Donnie, who watched intently. As an animated video game character named Felix went after Ralph across different video games, both teenagers finished their plates, laying them out on the table. Donnie made a happy noise as Thalia snuggled into his chest, pulling blankets up to her chin. She yawned, settling down.

As the movie continued, he momentarily shut his eyes, then opened them only to find Thalia gone. Then he heard the sink running in the bathroom and she slunk back down the hall, crawling back under the blankets. "Hey, the movie's over," she whispered, and she cleaned up, shutting off the movie. "Go to bed."

"I'm not tired," he replied, sitting up. He watched her scrub their plates slowly and he rose, standing behind her. "But you are. So go to bed."

She didn't answer him, and he smiled. Picking her up and moving her away from the sink, she yelped, dropping the plate in her hands. Catching it, the plate became encased in ice, and he placed it in the sink. "I'd let that sit for a while," he informed her, and she leaned against him, sighing loudly and touching the back of her head to his chest.

"I hate you."

"Oh I know," Donnie sighed, raising his eyebrows in exaggeration. As he dragged her out of the kitchen and down the hall, he said, "So much in fact, you feel the need to kiss me to express your feelings."

"Hard," she grunted in reply as he set her down on her feet. "Goodnight."

"What, no kiss?"

"Ugh, no," she grimaced, curling her lip. "You haven't brushed your teeth."

Shutting her door in his face, he blinked, then turned to the bathroom. Quickly brushing his teeth, he retreated to his room and changed to pajamas. Thalia's soft yet powerful voice carried across the hallway, singing to a softly playing song. When the song ended, she opened her door, knocking on his door frame. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," he replied, pulling a shirt over his head. "What do you need?"

"Just came to say goodnight," she replied softly. "So goodnight."

"I heard you singing," he said, and she looked down at the bedspread. "I've never heard you sing."

"There's a good reason behind that," she replied. "I don't like my singing voice."

"It's beautiful." He slowly walked around the bed to her side, placing his hand on hers. "I like your singing voice."

"You're obligated to say that, Donnie." She punctuated the statement with a halfhearted eye roll. "Goodnight."

"Before you go," he said, spinning her around. He planted a soft kiss on her lips. Pulling back, his lips still remained centimeters from hers. He closed his eyes, releasing the breath he'd been holding in.

Then, very softly, he felt her lips press to his. Immediately he felt his arms wrap around her, his hands moving without him as they skimmed her back. When her arms looped around his neck, he pulled her in closer, accidentally lifting her off the floor. An indescribable noise left her lips, and her back pressed into something hard, presumably the wall. "Donnie," she panted, losing her train of thought when his teeth skimmed the edge of her earlobe. "Donnie!" She laughed breathlessly as he continued to kiss down her jaw. Turning his face to hers, she became absolutely amazed as his pupils quickly shrunk back to their original size. "Now you're paying attention," she teased.

"What is it?" He asked, seeing her expression of mild panic. "If you don't want to, tell me. I don't want to overstep boundaries." He placed his hand on her cheek. "We have a while to figure this out, it doesn't need to be now."

"I've thought about this Donnie and I do want to. I'm just a little nervous, is all." Donnie swallowed, tilting his head to the side to smile at her reassuringly. She raised an eyebrow, smiling. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

"That's an all too literal expression at this point," he replied, closing the distance between them and kissing her again. Gently lowering her to the bed, his heart beat all too loudly in his chest. "Are you absolutely sure?" he asked, hearing her reply without hesitation, "A hundred percent." He placed soft kisses along her shoulders and lips as she removed her sweatshirt. Time (to him) suddenly felt hazy, and next thing he felt was his sheets wrapping around the two of them. Thalia placed her hands on his chest.

"You're not forgetting something, are you?" Thalia asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What would I be forgetting?" 

Reaching over to the nightstand, she rifled through his belongings, finding what she was looking for and pressing it into his hand. He smiled. "SmartStitches, Thalia? Seems odd, considering."

She laughed wryly, smacking him in the chest with the back of her hand. "Don't flatter yourself."  
~*~  
Skye clicked away at her computer, scrolling through Facebook. When the phone rang, she reached for it, pressing the green button. "Yeah?"

"Where is she?"

"Thalia? She's at Triplett's, asleep. You realize it's--" Skye checked the time on her phone, "--past five a.m. in the morning. Chill out."

"When might she be up?"

"At the latest, ten? I don't know, she's your kid."

"Let me know when she gets there."

Hanging up the phone, Skye turned back to her computer. "Damn overprotective parents."  
~*~  
Stirring at the sound of Thalia's alarm, Donnie turned over, almost rolling on top of something in his bed. Awakening immediately, he opened his eyes, seeing Thalia sleeping peacefully. She turned onto her back, her arms placed over her chest in such a fashion that he could see the gentle curves under the sheet. When the thought crossed his mind, he instinctively looked under the sheets, having a mini panic attack when he realized he was naked. And then the night previous came to him and he managed to calm himself somewhat enough to prevent an accidental icing of the blankets.

 He slid over next to her, tilting her face towards his, which unnaturally still and blank. "Thalia?" 

Suddenly she awoke, gasping for air and shaking. "Shh, it's okay, it's just a nightmare," he said quickly, disregarding his lack of clothing to wrap his arms around her. "You're okay," he said quietly, stroking her hair. "It's gone now."

She buried her face in his chest, still shaking mildly as he laid back down. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Don't be sorry," he replied. She relaxed into the bed, drawing the sheets up around herself. "What was it?"

"It was really weird," Thalia replied. "I can't even remember what it was about anymore.  But I do remember Ward put a taser to the back of my neck and everything went black." He felt her smile against his shoulder. "And I also remember something along the line of you losing your cool over your first time like the  _child you are,_ " she teased, which made him roll his eyes.

"Like the child  _I_  am?" Donnie laughed, placing a kiss on the bare front of her shoulder. "Coming from the fully grown eighteen year old who still has nightmares about monsters in her closet?"

She flinched. "Ward is a monster."

"I'm sorry," he murmured against her shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses to her collarbone. "That crossed a line."

Taking her short silence and ruffling of his bed hair as an apology, he kissed along her collarbone as she said, "Although a lot of line crossing has happened in the past few hours."

He laughed, kissing the hollow of her throat. "Like what?" When he was met with her knowing stare, he said, "I told you there was significance to that," hovering over her using the support of his arm next to her head. "Now didn't I?"

"Maybe. You may need to refresh my memory."

"If you had an idea how literal that is," he laughed, suddenly bending down and pressing their mouths together. Her fingers curled into his hair, holding them together until they broke apart for air. Panting softly, he looked down at her, watching her breathing quietly. Her dark hair fanned out around her head like a halo, giving her an ethereal glow; her pink lips a frosty hue and her dark lashes touching her eyebrows as he studied her. "Thalia, you're so beautiful," he said in awe, then watching as her pupils dilated to the comment. "You realize this, don't you?"

She chewed on her lip. "Yes."

"You realize that you're beautiful?" Donnie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, how patronizing."

She swatted his arm. He laughed, catching her wrist and placing a kiss on the inside. "I was teasing."

"I know."

He leaned in. "Oh you do?"

"I know a lot of things," she replied. Noticing the air of suggestion in her voice, he took her necklace chain, rubbing it between his fingers. Hearing a car door slam, they sat up, immediately throwing on their clothes.

"Hey guys?" Skye called out. "Donnie, Thalia?"

Yawning, Thalia emerged from Donnie's room, attracting her attention. "Oh hey, your dad called me," Skye said. "He wanted me to come and get you guys."

"Okay," Thalia replied sleepily.

"I want to say I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't know the extent of what Ward had done."

"I thought I'd never see him again."

"Do you want to tell Ian..?"

"No," Thalia sniffled. "Because then he'll make us stop talking to you guys. And I don't want one rotten apple to ruin the whole orchard, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Skye shuffled her feet. "So are you ready to go?"

"We just woke up."

"It's almost eleven in the morning."

"She came back and was near inconsolable," Donnie explained. "Didn't go to sleep until after one in the morning."

"Oh. Well I'll come back and grab your stuff later." Skye looked at her phone. "Get dressed."

Shutting her door, Thalia glanced at herself in the mirror. It was a very subtle change she saw: a kind of looseness to her body, her cheeks flushed. Which flushed deeper when--

"Thalia," Donnie knocked on her door. "Skye wants us now."

Quickly changing, she joined the other two in the car, holding her phone in her hands. Trying not to sneak glances at the boy across the seat from her, who undoubtedly was thinking the same thing.

Feeling his foot rub against hers, she felt her phone buzz in her hand. Checking the screen, she raised an eyebrow.  _You are in so much trouble._

She texted back _Why?_

_Because it's by the grace of Skye's obliviousness that she didn't notice._

_Notice what?_

Pulling back the hood on his jacket, she noticed the purple bruise on his neck. Reaching over and pressing the pads of her fingers into his skin, she suddenly remembered. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly, hurriedly, an edge of embarrassment in her voice. "Was I thrashing in my sleep again?"

"I took care of it, licked my own wounds." He moved the hood back into place. "It's just the color now."

"You two ready?" Skye asked, starting the car.

"Yeah." When Donnie caught the hesitancy in her voice, he felt her fit into his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. Then she willingly drifted off, finally sure in her knowledge that she was safe to sleep peacefully.  
~*~  
Waiting patiently for the large black van, Ian brightened as it pulled up, Skye jumping from the front seat. The side door opened and Donnie jumped out, carrying Thalia in his arms. Her nose was buried in the crook of his neck, the slow rise and fall of her chest signaling that she was asleep.

"Glad this went smoothly, right?" Ian called out to Skye, who promptly flipped him off. Donnie shot a wary look at Skye, then continued his walk to the side of the town car. Suddenly he laughed, replying to something that Thalia had said in his ear. Approaching the chocolate haired girl, he asked, "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Who knows?" Skye shrugged. "Probably something between them. Now get away from me."

"It was one time."

"One time that nearly killed me, now go away." She turned back to the van, getting inside and driving away. Sliding into the car, he sat down next to Thalia, who leaned aside to have Donnie press his lips to her forehead. He chuckled as a small jolt of static electricity stung his lower lip.

When the door shut, her heavy lidded gaze fell to him, which immediately brightened. "Oh. Hi."

"Do you want to kiss or do you want a ride?"

When Thalia's face reddened, he chuckled. "Teasing. Let's go back to the fort."

"'The Fort'?" Thalia raised an eyebrow, much like he did. "What is that?"

"You'll find out when we get there."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Okay, so I'm here. What do I need to get?"

"Mine and Donnie's clothes, phone chargers, toothbrushes and all the stuff that doesn't have an eagle on it."

"Oh that should be easy." Skye entered Thalia's room, locating her duffel bag. "Just toss all your stuff in your duffel bag?"

"Yeah, there's a spare one in Donnie's closet for his stuff."

"Alrighty, I'm gonna let you go. I have work to do." Ending the call, she worked quickly, filling both bags with their things. "Wallet, wallet, where's his wallet," she muttered quietly, searching the house top to bottom. Pulling out the couch cushions, she located the worn black wallet wedged between them. When its contents scattered, she snapped a curse, bending down to clean up the mess. Among the items, she found a few dollar bills, a Delaware driver's license, a faded receipt, an ultrasound picture (which had an inscription in faded handwriting that read, "Look at your little sister, Donnie!") and a few coins. Tucking it all neatly back inside, she noticed how there was still something missing.

Recalling memory, she tried to conjure images of when she was still staying with Miles (some of her best ones). There was one when it was a lazy Saturday night in Austin, and after much debate, they dug into their stash of cash (he reminded her she needed to withdraw some money from the ATM in a few days) to order pizza. When their delivery arrived, Miles dug through his wallet to produce their total and a condom fell from the inner pocket, awkwardly landing on the floor between them. Not that Skye would tell anyone, but for some odd reason, he got really embarrassed, so he barely made any eye contact with the kid as he paid him, took the pizza and picked up the small packet from the ratty carpet.

Shaking her head, she returned to reality. Checking the wallet once, twice, three times, she at first kicked herself. Of course she wouldn't expect Donnie to have one, being from his background and exceptional genius (after all, and she would admit it, not many girls were attracted to guys that could tell them everything about anti-electron collisions). But this was Thalia, an even bigger genius than him, who was absolutely fascinated with him. And he cared deeply for her, enough that'd he possibly do one of the only things he could think of that could show her...

She laughed. "Holy no way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback!


	20. And Now It's Ms. Hyde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> should I feel bad? Yes, I should probably feel bad. I'm sorry that I didn't update, I had personal reasons come up and it prevented me from being able to update (I didn't even see my laptop the entire day; and onto other news, I finally have my own laptop, yay!), so I hope this makes up for it.

Opening her bedroom door, Ian peered in at Thalia, who slept peacefully. "Thalia?" he called her name softly, and she mumbled, turning over and heading back to sleep. "Thalia?"

"Go away Donnie," she growled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Thalia."

Her eyes opened, and she flipped over, seeing him. "Oh," she yawned. "Good morning, Dad."

"Where's Donnie?"

She shrugged. "Sleeping, remember? He may be my boyfriend, but I don't know his every move."

He pulled a walkie talkie off a passing guard. "What's the twenty on Donnie?"

"He just left the dining room with breakfast, on his way down to the lab, over."

"Copy that." Handing the walkie talkie back, he turned back to her. "Good morning," he replied, sitting next to her and kissing her forehead. "Maybe he's waiting for you downstairs."

"How romantic," she yawned, clambering out of bed. "I'll be down shortly."

Changing into a working outfit, she padded downstairs, asking for directions to the lab. When she arrived, her sneakered feet slapped the polished concrete as she came closer to the worktable. "Morning!"

"Oh, hi," Donnie greeted her, drinking coffee. "You're up early."

"Coming from you," she teased, kissing the side of his head. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Review the specs, see what went wrong the first time," Donnie answered into his cup. "Then move accordingly."

Turning on a holotable, she brought up the machine. "So it had a rectangular prismatic base, and the top was cone-like in shaping," she spun the holographic machine around, studying it. "Why not try installing an emergency shut down?"

"Because once the machine's up and running, whatever it puts in the air can't be undone."

"Okay, so what about grounding the machine?" She crossed her arms. "Make a type of Faraday cage around the machine to protect the wiring in case it gets electrocuted like last time?"

"That's...actually a good idea," Donnie replied. "Note that. But what about the top of the machine? If that fries, then so does the rest of the machine."

"Line it with an insulator." Thalia suggested. "I mean sure, it might be a bit heavier, but nothing either of us haven't dealt with before, right?"

"As long as it won't mess with performance," he agreed. "Let's get to work."

~*~

Skye shut her laptop, bicycling her feet through the air. Laughing gleefully, millions of repetitive thoughts raced her mind. Pulling out her phone, her fingers began flying across the screen.

_Anna- Peter! Peter, answer your phone!_

_Peter- What?_

_Anna- Was Anna a virgin?_

_Peter- Who wants the answer?_

_Anna- Preferably me._

_Peter- Dear Random Friend of Hers, you realize I am eating breakfast and would rather NOT hear of neither Anna's or Thalia's conquests._

_Anna- God, are you a nerd. But I'm being serious. Was she?_

_Peter- Do I look like I'd know?_

_Anna- :/_

_Peter- All I could tell you is when we first met her, she had real severe personal space issues. Went to a counselor about it. First time Sam tried to help tie up her hair because she was cooking, she actually broke his wrist, then burst into tears._

_Anna- WTF?!_

_Peter- So according to her counselor (and mind you this information was from before we knew the truth), Anna's biological parents were actually really abusive and did a bunch of stuff to her before they found her._

_Anna- Like...?_

_Peter- I heard there was physical, emotional. Her counselor couldn't find out if there was any other types, so they thought she wasn't doing her job and assigned Anna a new counselor. This guy must've had some tricks up his sleeve, because he got her to start talking to people within a week._

_Anna- So as she got used to you guys, did she start to open up?_

_Peter- Eventually. She couldn't recall anything before February of 2003, but her counselor assured people she might be suppressing things, so everyone just left the topic alone._

_Anna- So your opinion. Do you think she was or not?_

_Peter- I can't really say. She could've been. Got really freaked out when Sam tried approaching the topic, so..._

_Anna- So you think she was too scared?_

_Peter- I don't know. But now that she's back to being Thalia, it's highly probable that she left behind all of the fear. So now who she screws is her own business._

_Anna- Why?_

_Peter- Because I need to know that members of the team won't get distracted in the field. If they do, they could get hurt badly and be held accountable for their injuries. Which is why we have an honesty policy because if they lie, they sit out._

_Anna- Ok, thx._

Leaving the conversation, she continued to bicycle her feet through the air. Slipping into her shoes, she called Thalia's phone. It picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, mind if I come over?"

"Donnie and I were about to have lunch. I'll set up." The line went dead, and she called a cab, instructing the driver to take her to Ian's home. Pulling up to the curb, she paid the driver and walked up to the door. Knocking three times, she waited for the door to open. On the other side, a guard waited. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, Thalia said I could come over, have lunch?"

"Hey," Thalia wiped her hands on her sweatpants. "Glad you could join. Did you like the game I got you?"

"Yeah. So where are we having lunch at? Preferably someplace private."

"Yep, the sunroom," Thalia nodded her head. "Hope you like Parmesan chicken nuggets."

"Dude, that sounds amazing," Skye breathed. Being led to a glass domed room, she sat in a window seat, a plate of Parmesan chicken bites in her hand. "So, I accidentally forgot Donnie's wallet."

"Really?" Thalia ran her fingers over the smooth leather. "He's really attached to it. I'd really hate if it got lost."

"Well, when I was making sure everything was still in there, I found out something was missing."

"It isn't his ultrasound picture of his sister, is it?" Thalia began going through the contents of his wallet. "She was stillborn and he keeps it for sentiment."

"No, everything's in there. But I have a question. What went there?" She pointed to the empty slot.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "He showed me once, but I didn't see anything there. Or if there was, it was small enough to fit inside but not be seen."

"My wallet!"

Thalia handed Donnie his wallet, and he popped a few chicken bites into his mouth. "Donnie, what's missing from this?" Skye pointed to the empty slot. He looked inside, then turned to Thalia.

"So that's where you got it from," he accused. "I knew it."

"Got what?" Skye asked innocently.

"It's pointless," he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. He sat down, and Thalia placed her hand on his knee that was a mental cue that said, "I got this."

"You had sex," Skye smiled. "Yeah, I got that. But hey, you used protection. Better than most teens nowadays." She adjusted her stance. "But onto other topics."

"You're not gloating?" Donnie asked, his face a mask of confusion. "Didn't you and Ward have a bet?"

"It's not my place to make money off you two. Besides, I was way worse as a teenager slash young adult, so I'm no saint." Skye nodded her head to the side. "You both consented as well, and you two clearly care for each other a lot. As far as I'm concerned, neither of you did anything wrong. Just an intimate display of affection."

"So besides the whole 'I'm having sex with my boyfriend and my father doesn't know about it' shebang, it's perfectly fine?"

"Psh, please," Skye laughed. "I didn't tell my foster parents when I lost my virginity. And look where I am now."

"But I know her dad, and I don't want to break the fragile bond of trust we have going right now. You get where I'm getting?"

"Just say 'hey, Thalia and I want to take our relationship seriously, where can we get protection?'"

"And risk him castrating me? Nice try."

"Her father needs to get the stick of of his ass and realize she's not a little girl anymore." Skye pinched her fingers together. "Well, maybe just a little."

"Ha ha, so funny," Thalia replied sarcastically. "Maybe I'll get you a step stool so you can reach the top shelf, Skye."

"Back down, Thalia," Donnie told her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back. "Don't we have to get back to work?"

She scrunched up her face in a childish manner. "The lab gets cold."

"Well, I'm not bothered by it, so you can unpack your stuff and I'll head back downstairs."

"I'll see myself out."

~*~

Folding a final sweatshirt and placing it in her pajamas drawer, she looked around her now unpacked room. Playing Beyoncé's "Haunted" around the room, she swayed her head as she finger combed her hair. Reaching for her brush, she quickly ran it through her hair before turning and seeing a paper bag on her bed. Attached was a note.

_Thalia,_

_I'll let you off easy, but by time all of what's inside is gone, try and tell your dad. He deserves to know._

_-Skye_

Opening the bag, she peered inside and let out a laugh. Shoving the bag into the nightstand drawer, she entered the bathroom, jumping into the shower. Letting the warm water pound against her back, she wet down her hair, lathering it with shampoo and watching her black hair turn white with the soap.

Quickly finishing, she hopped out onto the mat, wrapping her towel around herself. Approaching the mirror, she wiped down the glass, wringing the water from her hair into the sink. Someone knocked on one of the doors, and she tightened the towel around herself before unlocking the doors.

"Long day, huh?" she asked, pulling her comb out of her bathroom bag. As she began combing the tangles from her hair, Donnie took the comb from her hands. "Oh, hi."

"Hey," he replied, gently combing through her hair. Dragging the comb across the back of her neck, he repeatedly sent shivers down her spine. "You know your hair is so beautiful," he ran his fingers along her shoulder. "So unique and different from other girls'."

"What's wrong with other girls?" she asked as he cleaned the comb.

"They're not you."

"Oh?" A smile crossed her features. "Why are they not me? Any girl could be."

"They're not  _mine_."

Her skin was still pink from the heat of the water yet color darkened the skin on her cheeks at the highly territorial comment. She reached for her hairdryer and dried her hair, keeping her eyes downcast as she did. Fleeing to her room, she changed into pajamas and buried her legs in the sheets. Pulling a book out, she heard laughter outside her door, and someone knocked, entering her room. "Your father's leaving with a group of men. We'll have the other group outside guarding the perimeter."

"Okay," she nodded, and the guard closed the door. Knocking on her bathroom door, Donnie entered the room, shutting off the iHome speaker. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, just overheard the guards leaving. Your dad's going on a business call and won't be back until tomorrow morning." He sat down on the bed. "Typical behavior."

"You know what else is typical behavior?" A sly grin lit up her face. "You trying to sleep in my room. Do you not like your room?"

"They always set it on air conditioning."

"Do you not want it on in there?" She raised an eyebrow. "Because you know, you can always set it on heating."

"I know."

"Then is it just me?" Thalia set the book down, stretching and laying down on the bed. "Just me, the walking and talking heater?"

"Probably."

Standing up, she walked into the bathroom, then his room, where she stood in front of the thermostat. Opening the panel, she began flipping switches and pressing buttons, adjusting the thermostat until heat blew in through the vents. Turning around, she bowed. "Ta da!"

"You're a miracle worker," he replied, pressing his lips to hers. Pulling back, she replied, "I know," before his arms wrapped around her and pulled her back in, kissing her again. Sitting on the bed, she stood between his knees. "You know, if you're a zombie, I get to be a vampire."

"Why?"

"Because vampires..." Thalia leaned forward, pulling on the collar of his shirt, "...they bite their victims." Leaning in, she nuzzled his neck, then promptly bit down on the crook of his neck. His back stiffened, and she sucked on the skin, placing tender, soft kisses up his throat and to his lips.

While Thalia's warm fingers rubbed his scalp, Donnie slid his hands under the hem of her sweatshirt, pressing his palms against her back. Kissing him harder to stifle the moan that left her lips, she melted in his hands, letting him pick her up and lay her down on the still cool bed. Let him run his cold hands over her burning skin, kissing her shoulders and softly nipping at her lips and skin. "Thalia."

"Yes?" Her voice was breathy. When she opened her eyes, her pupils were huge, shrinking her colorful irises.

"Thalia."

"What is it?" she asked, sitting up. Sliding her bra strap back onto her shoulder. Locking eyes with Donnie, she brushed hair from her eyes. "Oh."

"Not if you don't want to," he said softly. "I won't pressure you."

"The funny part about the decision?" Thalia smiled. "I'm sleeping in here anyways. The difference is whether I want to do that with clothes or without."

"Well, in the event should you choose the latter, I come prepared." He pulled the brown paper bag out from between the mattress and the wall.

"Hey, that's mine!"

Donnie laughed. "Thalia, you're responsible enough. You don't have to do my job for me and make sure I have condoms."

"Fine, they stay in here." She picked up the box, looking at the back.

"How many are in there?"

"Um, three." Picking up her phone, she opened a message tab.

_Thalia- Hey Dad, when do you get back tomorrow?_

_Dad- I'm not sure, but the guy that has the access key to the elevator that goes down to the lab is with me, so neither of you go down there tomorrow._

_Thalia- Okey dokes._

_Dad- Goodnight Thalia. I love you._

_Thalia- I love you too._

"So, our elevator guy has the access card, so no lab work tomorrow," she said. "Maybe we can sleep in a little bit?"

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"That'd be a no for tonight," she smiled, brushing her teeth. "I have business to attend to in the morning."

Crawling over Donnie into bed, she tucked herself in, letting him pull her into his chest. "I'm just a big, warm teddy bear, aren't I?"

"More like big, warm Tally bear," he snorted. "Goodnight Thalia."

~*~

Shifting from side to side, she grew restless in sleep and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. The room was dark, illuminated by the glow of the alarm clock. It read 7:30 a.m., and she turned onto her right side, placing an arm under her head. Donnie mumbled softly, turning to face her. "Can't sleep?"

She shook her head. "I'm used to waking up around this time."

"Me too," he yawned. "I'm used to you waking me up around this time."

"Well, we're both up," Thalia said as she sat up in bed. "Might as well stay up."

"But I thought we'd get to sleep in."

"I did say that, didn't I?" she replied, raising an eyebrow and smiling. "I guess we will. Sleep with me."

"But what if I need to go take a shower?"

"Then shower. I like a clean man."

"Well good thing I'm clean," he replied, settling back into the bed. Thalia pressed up against his chest, her spine pressed comfortably into his front. When he let his thoughts roam, he soon realized he could feel warmth all the way down his front. Her shoulders pressed to his, as well as his stomach to her back. Her hips were pressed to his and suddenly, he made himself all too aware of how well they were fitting together, suddenly feeling every inch of her body and becoming miserably hard.

Thalia groaned. "Mm, Donnie..." she mumbled. "Stop it."

Breathing normally, he began shifting around, except every movement pushed them closer together and made it worse. When he couldn't do anything, he sighed silently, waiting until it went away. Instead, Thalia began rubbing herself against him (not purposefully; after all, she was asleep), and he pinned her down and kissed her, biting her lip.

Having her underneath him, he felt her knees at either side of his hips, and the silent urge to hold each other closer echoed between them, sending fireworks off in their brains. They begun to pull at each other's clothes, their kissing becoming more frantic as time passed, the need to feel the other's skin slowly being sated.

Sometime later, they laid in a tangle of sheets, still entangled in each other, their lips doing the talking. Thalia smiled against his lips, and he pulled back, seeing the glowing smile on her face. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she replied dazedly, running a hand up his arm. He smiled, nuzzling her neck and placing soft kisses from her shoulder to her collarbone to her jaw as she spoke. "Just enjoying the morning."

"Which begs the questions: did you intentionally do that? Is 'sleeping in' a new code word or something?"

"Maybe," she laughed, sitting up and fixing her tank top. "Sometimes I want to have alone time like this without having everyone on our backs."

"We live in probably what might stand to be the most heavily guarded compound in America. Seven types of security, two of which aren't even legal in this country, fifty of the most vicious men in the world, and two super geniuses guarding the one thing they both care about. You." Donnie watched as her skin pinked, turning a light shade of rose red. "It's highly doubtable we're going to get time like this,  _alone_ , often.

"Which means we need to relish the moment," Donnie said huskily, kissing her shoulder up to the back of her neck. Slowly laying Thalia on her back, he kissed her softly, feeling the shape of her pendant under the sheet. The sound of the front door opening alerted them both to someone entering the house. "Is he back?"

"I don't know," Thalia raised an eyebrow, getting out of bed. Opening the door, she stepped out, looking over the rail. "Dad?"

"Miss Quinn?" A man peered up at her, and she sighed. Crosse. "Sorry, just making the rounds in the house."

"Okay," she sighed in response. Crosse laughed, taking in her wrinkled appearance.

"Sleeping in, Miss Quinn?"

She smiled, leaning on the rail. "Jealous, Zeke?"

"Got a date with Allison tonight," he replied. "She looks a lot like you, except older. And she walks around her apartment in underwear, too."

Sticking her tongue out, she smiled and entered Donnie's room, laying down on the bed. "Who was it?"

"Crosse, making the rounds." She draped the blanket over her, and Donnie inched closer, pressing his nose against her shoulder. Inhaling her sweet and flowery skin, he blew across her back. She shivered pleasantly, goosebumps rising across her exposed skin. "Donnie."

"Yes?"

"My dad," she rolled onto her back, "he wants to take me on a shareholder trip."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and it's supposed to be with this pharmaceutical company which specializes in immediate care of biological weapon attacks. Donnie, I'm nervous."

"It's okay," he said, rolling out of bed in a pair of pajama pants. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair while Donnie watched.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked over her shoulders, smoothing down the back of her hair.

"Immensely," he climbed back onto the bed, pulling her hair back and nibbling on her ear.

"No, no," she pushed him back. "I have to pack. He says we're leaving when he gets back."

"Here," he passed her her shed pajama pants to her and she slid into them, then pulling on a button down hanging from the doorframe, buttoning a few of the buttons. Slipping from room to room, she reached her room, packing quickly. Then she shucked her clothes in favor of something presentably classy.

Returning to Donnie's room, she tossed him the borrowed clothes. "Where's my bra?"

"How do you mean?"

"Don't con me, Donnie," Thalia leaned on the door frame. "I took it off before I went to bed. And that bra was expensive.  _Victoria's Secret_  expensive."

"Sorry, haven't seen a diamond studded B-cup floating around." He shrugged. "With the amount of money you spend there, I should expect at least one or three of your bras to be  _covered_  in diamonds."

"Sure, it'll draw the conversation away from the weather to how expensive said bra must be and how good I'd look without it."

"You said it, not me." He raised his hands in defense. She smacked his arm, muttering under her breath. "I would never say such a thing to you unless you wanted me to," he shot back.

"Exhibit A of how you are whipped," Thalia patted his arm. "Saying you need permission to initiate dirty talk with your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend whose father is currently unaware of the fact that I've had sex with you." He raised an eyebrow and lifted the corner of his lips. "So Exhibit A of how Thalia doesn't realize how much of a thin line I dance with that topic."

"Ooh, so bad," she teased. "You know we need to tell him. Eventually he'll realize you no longer blanch when he says the word sex in your presence. Remember how sheet white you were when he gave you the Talk?"

"I don't need reminding. He said to me if he even sees so much as you walking funny and I'm anywhere near he'll castrate me."

"Poor boy," she pouted. "I like you this way."

"Hot and bothered?"

"As much as I'd like saying yes," she smiled, "I raise your sarcasm with some sass, because when I'm gone, all you'll be is alone and frustrated."

"Ha ha," he snorted, pulling her forward by the belt loops of her arctic blue jeans and placed a kiss on her lips. "It'll be okay. I know it will."

"Just make sure you find my bra."

He sighed incredulously. "You're leaving for an unidentified amount of time--"

"A week."

"--and you're worried about me finding your clothes."

"If my dad finds it before you do, you're done," she said matter-of-factly. "No more late night snuggling. So just keep an eye out for it."

"Okay," he pecked her again. "I'll start working on the frame for the machine."

"Mmhm," she replied, reaching up and kissing him again. As each one blended into the next, he felt his hand begin to wander, slipping into her back pocket. "Donnie," Thalia said amusedly, "I've never known you to be this direct."

"Well directness helps you realize your dad texted you."

"I gotta go," she gave him one last kiss before leaving his room, dragging her suitcase down the stairs. When she reached the front door, she waved back at him, then hefted her suitcase outside. Running to her room to grab her phone charger, he noticed a lacy ice blue and white bra hanging from her bed frame.

Making it to the car, he passed her the cord as she tucked it into the front pocket of her suitcase. "I found your bra hanging from your bed frame," he whispered into her ear. "You honestly weren't paying attention, were you?"

She fell silent. "Shut up."

"Sure thing," he smiled, drawing her in for a long, lingering hug. "Good luck."

"You too," she replied, pulling away and climbing into the car. Heading into the house and downstairs to the lab, he began bringing out his materials. When his phone buzzed, he glanced at the screen. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smile.

 _I'm already missing you._  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Ascending the stairs into the plane, she took a window seat, tucking her legs underneath her. "Sweetheart, it'll be okay," Ian assured her. "These things are super easy. I'll walk you through it."

She looked up, and Ian sat opposite her. "You look so much like your mother," he said in awe, reaching for her and stroking her hair, which was brought into a gentle knot behind her head. A strand from above her right eyebrow slipped out and he twirled it around his finger, tucking it behind her ear. She played with her snowflake pendant, and he immediately sat back. "You know Donnie made that for you."

She smiled, wrapping the pendant in her hand. "I know."

"He made the entire thing from scratch, Thalia."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when you weren't allowed to go back to the lab after burning your hand, when he went, he asked the engineer there if she had any scrap metal to work with and she gave him a broken necklace and said he could use it for whatever. So he took each link apart, fixed it and put the whole thing back together. Then he found a silver pendant and fixed it too, shaping it into a flower. But why is it a snowflake?"

"I had a bit of an accident that got it mangled and he had to reshape it."

"Anyways, he came to me when he was just about finished with it, asking if there was something he could place in the center of the flower to finish it, so I found your Aunt Amora's gift to you as a baby: a small ice crystal, about as big as an oyster's pearl, gave it to him, and he finished the necklace."

She brought the pendant to her lips, then let it fall against her chest. "He's really nice."

"Yeah, he is," Ian replied, and his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Ian, I just wanted to see where you guys were."

"We're leaving California now," he replied. "Not to worry, Mister Wick, we're on our way."

"I can't wait."

Thalia looked up. "Who was that?"

"Carter Wick, the owner of BioMedics," Ian answered. "He has a son around your age."

"Dad," Thalia laughed, "you realize I have a boyfriend."

"I'm just saying you need to associate with people your age."

"Donnie is my age."

" _Other_  people your age."

"Well, if you ever let me leave the house without a squadron of men, I'd have an easier time doing so. Do I need to remind you of what happened when Donnie tried taking me out on a date to the movies?" Thalia smirked. "I remember a bunch of very angry moviegoers when some guy starting checking me out in the arcade and Marcus throttled him into oblivion. Granted, the guy was a total sleaze, but I can handle myself."

"I know you can." Ian placed an affectionate kiss on her head. "Doesn't mean I'm going to."

"What? Come on Dad, I'm  _eighteen_."

"You're still eight in my eyes."

Thalia rolled her eyes, concentrating on her phone. "Whatever you say, Dad."   
~*~  
About to turn in for the night, Ian exited the bathroom, returning his clothes to his suitcase when he heard Thalia's giggling. "No, I'm not!" she laughed, and he hung outside the bathroom, listening to the conversation. "I'm not lying to you, Donnie."

There was a pause. "Donnie, you are too self conscious. I enjoyed it a lot." Another pause. "Listen to me. We've had this discussion. You were attentive to details and it turned out beautifully." A cut short pause when she replied, "No, I'm not being girlish or trying to boost your ego. I genuinely mean it. Don't you try and deny it, Donald, I'm being serious."

Peering around the wall, he saw Thalia sitting cross legged on one of the beds. She wore Donnie's thermal shirt, playing with her necklace. "No, you listen to me. No,  _no_ , Donnie, please just-- I swear to God, I'm gonna hit you so hard when I get back." She giggled at something Donnie said through the phone, then rubbed her cheeks when they reddened. "Don't say that!" Thalia gasped incredulously. "Because my dad's in the bathroom, genius! Yes, because it's so easy for me to get embarrassed like that," she grumbled. "I'm going to bed. Why? Because it's eleven here! No, I will not get a picture of Iron Man for you!" Ducking her head, she smiled. "Okay. Good night." Making a kissing noise to the speaker, she ended the call, plugging in her phone.

Knocking on the wall, she looked up at him. "Evening."

"Talking to Donnie?"

"No, I'm talking to my other boyfriend." Her reply was thick with sarcasm.

"Didn't know you were polygamous, Thalia."

"I am not," she crossed her arms. "Strictly monogamous, this one."

"Good, because if you weren't, I'd be worried." He smiled. "How are things back at the fort?"

"Donnie said he needs more barium hydroxide and thermopower radiation sensors, so the men are taking him to one of the warehouses for supplies." She yawned. "I'm going to bed." Ian kissed her forehead and left.

Sinking into the bed, she closed her eyes.

_"I know," Tasha pressed her gloved fingers against her throat. When she looked down on her, the spark in her green eyes remained. "Just hang on for a little while longer."_

_Since when did she ever say that?_

_The background swirled into nothingness. Then she saw a shiny, glass bubble around her, and someone placed their hand on it. "Hang on, please. Please hold on for a little while longer."_

_"Natasha."_

_"Quiet, Coulson." The familiar red head looked at her through the glass. "Thalia, hang on please."_

_"Her name isn't Thalia, it's Anna," Coulson spat. "She's dying, now isn't the time to fill her head with nonsense."_

_"Her name is Thalia," Natasha replied through gritted teeth. "I was assigned her transport to S.H.I.E.L.D. Barton and I were called upon by Pierce to do first response when her house caught fire. We got her and Ian out, but she stopped breathing and received first priority to the hospital." Natasha swallowed. "We were ambushed, and the attackers took her. It was only after we got patched up at base did we find out that she was intercepted by a S.T.R.I.K.E team that was chasing after her kidnappers. She was so pale, so delicate and small. Her hair was the only color she had going for her when we saw her again. Hooked up to machines that were filtering her blood, breathing for her. She was the living dead._

_"She was in a coma for a long time, I can't even remember anymore. Weeks, I think," Tasha continued. "Seven or eight. Then I came back from a mission in Russia and when I was leaving the hospital, I saw her in her room, eating breakfast while watching cartoons. And that's when I finally let it go."_

_Inside the glass bubble, she felt the slow, rhythmic beating in her chest begin to falter. "No, no, please hold on, Thalia, please!" But regardless of Natasha's pleading, she sunk deeper and deeper until she finally let go._

Waking from her dream, she immediately checked the time, blinking against the brightness of her phone's display as it read 1:17 a.m. Climbing out of bed, she stumbled across the room into the other bedroom, slipping into the other bed and curling up against the warm body that laid there.  
***  
"And these will be sufficient?"

"I need them a size smaller," Donnie examined them. "Four of these in a size 9 and then four in a size 7. Four for the prototype models and then four for the big one."

"Yes, sir," the attendant nodded, taking the sensors from Donnie's hands and returning them to their cases. When his phone began buzzing in his sweater pocket, he checked the screen.  _Two missed calls: Quinn. One new voicemail. Two new messages._

Wincing, he slid his thumb across the screen, clicking the voicemail. " _Donnie, this is Ian. Thalia had another episode, and she's been trying to call you but her phone's gone missing. Call me when you get this._ "

Immediately hitting the dial button, the call went through. "Donnie?"

"Thalia? What happened?"

"I was sleeping, and I saw Tasha."

"Barton's partner?"

"Yeah." He heard her sniffle. "She was there when I got my scars. She was calling out Coulson because he called her a liar for saying my name wasn't Anna."

"Will these suit your needs, Mister Gill?"

Looking up, the attendant had returned with two cases labeled with 7s and 9s. "Yeah, they will."

"Who are you talking to?"

"I'm getting the supplies for the machine." As he checked the insides of the cases, he said, "Keep talking Thalia, I'm listening."

"But he kept calling her a liar and saying it wasn't true. But he knew she was there during the fire. Why wouldn't he believe her?"

"I... I don't know." Stacking the cases together, he said, "Maybe because someone else convinced him it wasn't the truth?"

"Who could do that?"

"Someone he was close to, maybe friends with," he replied.

"And one last thing. Someone stole my necklace."

"What?"

"IknowIwaslookingforitandIthoughtitfelloffwhenIwassleepingsoIcheckedthebedanditwasn'tthere--"

"Thalia,  _slow down_."

"Someone took it off me while I was sleeping!" she burst into a fresh round of tears. "I don't know when it happened, and I was so scared of you being mad at me because I know how much effort you put into it. Oh God...." she began to whimper.

"How did you find it when Genny had it?"

"The clasp at the back had iron in it."

"Could you sense the iron in it again?"

"I already tried and it didn't work." An edge of panic crept into her voice. "What if someone tried to sell it?"

"I doubt they could do that easily. When I woke up this morning, you were on the news with your dad and someone would have to be blind to not notice that necklace." Donnie grunted as he picked up the cases, carrying them to the van. "Someone will find it."

"Okay," she sighed. "I won't keep you any longer."

"Bye."

Tucking his phone into his pocket, he tucked the cases into the trunk. "Hey, where's the barium hydroxide?"

"What?"

"I had a crate of barium hydroxide for the prototypes and machine. There was one here just a few moments ago!"

"Right here," the attendant came forward with a case. "The case wasn't completely filled. Sorry about that."

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, sir."

"Let's head back. I gotta start working on this at some point."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
When her fingers absently fell upon her collarbone, Ian looked at her with pity. "Thalia, we'll find it."

She remained silent all the way through the ride. Running her fingers through her hair, she winced when her hand came into contact with the nape of her neck. Removing her hand, a broken clasp sat in her palm. "My suitcase!"

"What about it?"

"My clasp got stuck and broke off in my hair, so maybe when I was getting dressed this morning, my necklace got stuck in my shirt." Lowering the seat, she retrieved her small suitcase, rifling through the contents. The necklace dangled from the inside of the shirt. She gasped in happiness, attaching the clasp to the end of the chain, then bringing it over her head. Searching the suitcase, her phone fell out of a small makeup bag.

"Seems like you just misplaced them."

"Seems so." Rearranging her suitcase, she placed it in the trunk, bringing the seat up. Turning on her phone, her fingers began flying over the screen, clicking a button with her thumb. It dinged a few moments later, and she smiled, turning on the noise button and shutting off her phone.

"Feel better?"

She began shaking, then nodded her head, holding onto the charm. "A little bit."

"Thalia, my dear, you worry too much." Ian smiled. "You're gonna give yourself gray hairs."

"I doubt it. Donnie knows I can take care of most of my problems, and whatever I can't do, he can. And vice versa."

"Well, your vice versa won't last forever."

"Why does everyone say that?" She laughed. "Everyone says 'it's just a thing' and 'young love like yours doesn't last forever', but no one really takes the time to try and see the whole thing for what it is." Running her finger across the seat, she said, "Neither of us has said 'I love you' to each other."

"What? You two have been together for months and you haven't uttered a single syllable of it to each other? Obviously I know you two love each other very much, but why not say it?"

"Why waste breath on unnecessary words?"

"What would happen if you two choose to take things further, have sex? Tell me, Thalia, what would be your game plan?"

"Not calling it 'the game plan'," Thalia smiled. "We already have one. We've decided that we'll use condoms."

"That's it? Condoms and nothing else?"

"Mmhm."

"Nothing else has been discussed?" Ian asked. "He won't sacrifice your safety so he can get off?"

"Ew, no!" Her mouth fell open. "Why would you phrase it like that? Obviously I have a plan, I'm not very proactive about having kids, and why the hell would Donnie, of all people, want to hurt me like that?"

"He's a  _guy._ "

"So are you!"

"I'm your father."

"Who has no place questioning this." When the car came to a stop, she climbed out. "Your business is your business, not my sex life. So stay in yours, not in mine."

As she shut the door, he sighed, climbing out and following her into the building. When they were inside the elevator, she tensed her jaw, letting a single tear slip down her cheek. "The plan is simple because I'm not able to have kids. I..." she turned to him, pressing her back into the wall. "I can't get pregnant."

"How do you know?"

"I've heard things. Assimilated theories. I've done my own research." She wiped the moisture off her face. "That's how I know. And that's all I wish to say about it."

When the elevator doors opened, Thalia breezed into the conference room, an easy smile on her face. But Ian knew that face, because behind it and its clever remarks hid the things she grieved for.

Like his did.  
~*~  
When the conference was over, she stood next to an open window, feeling the cool breeze in her hair. "Can't concentrate?"

She turned around, and a boy with messy blonde hair and brown eyes approached her, holding out a champagne flute. Shaking her head, she turned back towards the window. "Just thinking."

His mouth was next to her ear. "About?"

"How your breath is atrocious."

"Ouch," he said softly. "So Father was right. A Quinn's words do sting."

"Ah," Thalia acknowledged sardonically, "you must be Arthur."

"In the flesh." Arthur leaned on the wall. "I get the feeling you hate my guts."

"Your intestines have nothing to do with my rather negative opinion of you."

"Oh, now that is rude," Arthur sneered. "What have I done to upset you, Princess?"

"You were drinking during the entire negotiation. Is your entire life one big haze with faint traces of sobriety?"

"No."

"Then why do I get the feeling that you drank so much solely for the purpose of trying to seduce me in rather piggish, half-assed manner?" Thalia asked. "If you listened to your father like I did, you would have heard him say specifically to not bother the girl who looks like she doesn't want to be messed with."

"Now that I did hear, but as we both know by now I'm not one to listen to rules."

"Then our conversation is over. I don't want to associate with people who have to rely on a stiff drink or far too much free time on a Saturday night to live their life." Moving away, she shut the window. Grabbing a water bottle, she took a long swig from the flimsy plastic, drawing the bottle into itself.

"Ooh, impressive." Arthur clapped as she took another drink. "Must be a useful skill."

She paused. "What did you just say?"

"I said it must be a useful skill. Going without oxygen like that for a long time."

When he quirked his eyebrows suggestively, she gagged. "You are disgusting," she spat, leaving the room. When she entered the lobby, Ian looked up from his tablet.

"I take it you met Arthur."

"He is an asshole with no sense of sobriety and respect for others."

"And you did not like him."

"You could have told me!"

"I was not aware he was a drunk, sweetheart." Ian joined her in the elevator. "Carter Wick is a very respectable man with a very disrespectful son." Leaving the building, the New York cityscape loomed overhead.

"Why couldn't we live here?" Thalia asked.

Ian looked around. "In New York? Take a look in the mirror and you'll see why."

Scowling playfully, she took a step off the curb and looked up, admiring the cityscape. A short yelp left her mouth as a bike messenger swerved out of the way to try and miss her, but ended up clipping a kid with a camera around his neck and knocking him to the ground. "Oh!" she knelt to the ground, helping the kid up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed, checking his camera. "I just hope he didn't crack a lens. They're really expensive."

Looking up, his mouth fell open slightly. "Wow."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Oh, nothing. You just looked like an old friend of mine." He extended a hand towards her. "Peter. Parker," he quickly added, shaking her hand. "And you're Thalia Quinn. God, sorry, it's just my boss wanted an article of your negotiation with BioMedics and he said I'd get a raise if I managed to get a picture of the elusive Thalia Quinn."

She laughed. "Wow, I feel honored to have a bounty on my head."

"Can I take your picture? For the article."

"Sure," she smiled, approaching Ian. "Dad, can he get a picture for his article?"

"Okay, sweetheart. Ten minutes."

Spinning to face Peter, he snapped a quick picture. "Done."

"That easy? Well there you go."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem."  
~*~  
When the doors to the elevator opened, Donnie squinted against the light coming from the front window. "Crap, that's bright," he muttered, turning his head to divert the light and jogging up the stairs. "Hey, I'm finished for the night. You can lock the elevator."

When he flopped onto his bed, he yawned. Reaching for the door, he kicked it shut, surrounding himself in darkness and sleep.

_When the red lights began flashing, he opened his eyes. But instead of seeing Mister Quinn, he saw two heavily armed guards. Opening his door, the guards escorted him into the building, down hallway after hallway, until they reached a small, windowless room, pushing him inside. It was sparsely furnished, having a bed, a dresser, and a desk; the walls were bare, the ceiling having white tiles and the door had a rectangular hole in it, likely for delivering meals. They left him there, leaving him to his own devices._

_And that's how it was, day after day. At least for a few days, anyways. After about a week, after he had finished his second meal of the day, his door opened, and a man stepped through. "Mister Gill."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Come with me."_

_"Who are you?" he asked again. Everything went black, and he woke up in a room with a long conference table, two people at its head. The woman turned her head._

_Her mouth quirked up, and a British accent left her mouth with the words, "So, you're awake."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"It's always the same inane questions. Who are you," she bent over the table, "what do you want. I want you."_

_"Christine."_

_"What's a little fun, Sunil?" She stood, casting a suggestive glance towards the man's back. Walking around the table, she helped him stand._

_"What do you want with me?"_

_"I knew he was smart," she raised an eyebrow. "We want to work with you."_

_"I am Mister Bakshi." The man sat down, gesturing for Donnie to sit. "And this is Miss Christine Beckers."_

_She grinned wolfishly. "But you can call me Ms. Hyde."_

_"What if I say no?"_

_"Well then we'll just have to make you comply," she whispered in his ear, using a strange tone to her voice. Almost like she'd have fun doing it, whatever they had planned for him._

_Mister Bakshi leaned forward in his seat, placing his arms on the table to support himself. "Are you ready to comply, Donnie Gill?"_

Startling himself awake, he was alerted to the sound of his rumbling stomach, punishing him for skipping lunch in favor of working longer on the machine. Demanding that it be fed, he sat up, wandering downstairs to eat. Smooth jazz music began playing, which he didn't immediately recognize. Entering the kitchen, he sat down at the bar, listening to the music.

" _Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care_ ," the singer sang smoothly, " _when you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear; you give me fever, when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight; fever, in the morning, fever all through the night..._ "

"Hungry?"

He looked up, and a guard leaned against the counter, his shaggy blond hair covering his face as he snapped his fingers. Standing, he brushed hair out of his face. "I'm being punished for skipping lunch," he replied, and the guard nodded, having his hair fall back in his face. "It demands sustenance."

"You're not the only one, kid. Crosse." He smirked. "Miss Quinn's boyfriend has quite the reputation."

"I do?"

"The other men said you were a people pleaser. They'd come in and see you two working in the lab, or her passed out in your lap while watching a movie in the living room." Crosse smiled. "You treat her like a princess."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"I wasn't finished. You also treat her like an equal, which is something she admires. Others treat her like she's made of glass, and it infuriates her."

Sliding a plate with a sandwich half down the counter, he continued speaking. "She dances, you know."

"Well, now I know how she's managed to stay so flexible." When the words left his mouth, he sighed, bowing his head. "I really need to stop saying things like that."

Crosse laughed. "She said once she does it because dancers aren't made of glass. So, contrary to popular belief, she does hold some kind of resentment towards her father. Because he's the main person that treats her like that. And that's why he's jealous of you."

"One of the richest men in the world is jealous of some kid?" Donnie shook his head. "You see where I'm having a hard time believing this?"

"Remember that old stereotype that usually the maids and butlers usually know more about the family dynamic than they let on?" Crosse nodded. "That applies here. He makes her live a life in which she's always under his careful eye, yet he encourages her to go out and be free to live her life. And then when she leaves, it's not without at least three men." He smirked. "I find the notion ironic."

"I would, too," Donnie replied. "Telling her she's old enough to do her own thing, then inwardly believing she's not old enough to go out alone." Peeling a pickle slice from the bread, he said, "I grew up quickly, but he doesn't want to put her through the same thing."

Crosse leaned on the counter. "You were going on about something while you were sleeping. Something about a Ms. Hyde."

"I'm sure it was just something I was dreaming about."

"She sounds kinky," Crosse laughed.

"The first image I conjured up was her tying me up, locking my hands into restraints." Donnie shook his head. "Really weird stuff."

"Don't go giving Miss Quinn ideas. Last thing I want to walk in on is that. I've already heard too much."

"Please tell me that wasn't being recorded."

"If it was, you would've been found out by now. We'll keep-- well, I'll keep your secret. I'm the only guard aware, currently."

"I'm going to my room." As Donnie jogged back up the stairs, he didn't even make it to his room when his vision went dark, the feeling of falling fading away.

_"Donnie, all we are going to do is observe you for a few hours." Locking him in a room with a container of water on the table, Ms. Hyde sat opposite him, positioning a camera on a tripod. "Your medical evaluation said you were burned in the aftermath of the machine being destroyed." She leaned over the table, placing her elbows on the surface to support her head while she studied him. "Where?"_

_"Why are you wearing that?"_

_"This?" She looked at her outfit, consisting of a pair of high waisted black shorts, a camisole, and an all over lace bodysuit, clinging to her every curve._

_"Seems a bit ridiculous to wear for an observation."_

_"Well it isn't a typical observation," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I believe you have gifts."_

_"And what makes you think that, Miss Beckers?"_

_"Tut tut, what did I say about disrespect?" She stood, taking slow and deliberate steps around the table until she was directly behind him. "Now Donnie, do you want to go to the movie room?"_

_The instant those words left her mouth, he flinched, remembering those who were taken to it. Taken by armed guards, screaming and kicking; he remembered one instance where the girl that resided across the hall from him, her name was Olivia, was taken, crying and begging that she'd be good, that she'd comply. Hours later, she was dragged back to her room, muttering one thing over and over: "Compliance will be rewarded."_

_"No, Ms. Hyde, I do not."_

_"Good boy," she praised him, taking her seat. "Now I'll ask again. Where were you burned?"_

_Extending his right hand, she pushed the sleeve of his jacket back. As she examined his hand, she brushed her fingertips against his arm, sending jolts of electricity through his veins. "What are your gifts, exactly?"_

_"Mine?" She looked up suddenly. "Now tut tut, you don't ask me until you've shown me. An 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' type deal."_

_"What if I don't want to show you?"_

_Her eyes turned level to his. In a monotone voice, she said, "Donnie, why don't you show me what you can do? I will be most pleased if you do."_

_Giving way to her command, an easy, calm and trustworthy air settled over her. Moving his chair over to the container of water, he watched her turn on the camera, then placed his hand against the side, watching as the container iced over. She gasped in awe, shutting off the camera. Touching the frozen container, she said, "Donnie, this is amazing! But also rudimentary; I will show you how to better control it."_

_He beamed. Someone wasn't scared of what he could do. "Ms. Hyde, what can you do?"_

_"I did promise you that, didn't I?" she replied, and he nodded complacently. Speaking to him again in a monotone voice, she said, "You will wake up in your room with the memory that your observation went well. I did nothing but observe you for two hours. Do we understand each other, Donnie?" He nodded, feeling his memory slowly going blank. She smiled. "Now you may go to sleep." As she stroked his face, he slowly drooped against the table until he fell asleep, like she said he could._

"Donnie, wake up!"

He quickly came to, a rapid heartbeat underneath his head making his head pound. "Mmm...what happened?" He looked up, seeing Thalia's features contorted into panic. "Thalia? What are you doing here?"

"Oh God, are you okay?" She held up her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Four," he replied. "Thalia, how are you here? I thought you were in New York."

"We finished the negotiation early." She held her fingers close together, causing electricity to form a small light in her hand. "Look here."

Looking at the light, she moved it between his eyes. Crushing the light in her fist, she said, "Come on, I'm taking you to see Agent Simmons."

"Why?"

"Because you may have a concussion, Donnie!" Looking at the stairs, she said, "Or maybe I'll call her here."

Yawning, he rested his head against her chest. "Thalia, if you're smarter than me, then couldn't you tell if I had one?"

"I don't think you do."

"And since it's highly probable that you may be more intelligent than Agent Simmons, wouldn't you be a better opinion?"

She stopped to think. "Fine." Helping him up, she said, "I missed you."

"It's only been two days." He wrapped his arms around her. "And we've talked every single day."

She hit her knuckles against his chest. "I'm making dinner."

"I've already eaten."

She growled. "Zeke!" she whined. "I told you not to!"

"He hadn't eaten lunch, Miss Quinn!" Crosse called. "And it was just a sandwich."

"You better be lucky that you're constantly hungry or otherwise I would have to beat you."

"And tie my hands up while you're at it?" Crosse and Donnie went silent when the question passed Donnie's lips.

"Don't tempt me," she pointed a finger at him. "Now go clean up."  
~*~  
"I just hope it doesn't swell," Thalia said softly, touching his forehead.

"Thalia, it's not going to."

"I hope it doesn't."

"It won't," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Locking her fingers together behind his neck, she still studied the dark bruise on his forehead, going in a straight line from his hair to his left temple, the center fading out from dark red to brown.

"The color screws with your eyes."

"Thalia, you realize I could care less that it messes with the rest of my face. It's already messed up as it is."

"Can't be too bad." She brushed her lips softly over the bruise, her nose bumping against his. Ghosting her lips across his, her voice dropped to a feathery whisper when she said, "I'm still kissing it, aren't I?"

Pulling out of his arms, she sat down between his legs. "What's wrong?"

"When we were up in New York, Arthur kept trying to hit on me." She shuddered. "Drunk. His tactics were downright harassing."

"Isn't Arthur eighteen?"

"A little illegal for my tastes," she replied, he imagined her smiling while managing to curl her lip, "but that's not the point. I met Peter."

He stiffened. "Dream Boy Peter?"

"His last name is Parker, but yes. Peter Parker was one of the people that saved my life two years ago." His hand met hers as she rubbed her scars. "I wish I could talk with him more, but Dad was pretty insistent on getting back to the hotel."

"Did your negotiation go through? With BioMedics?"

"I'm not sure." She shrugged, and the small strap of her tank top slipped off. Reaching up and fixing it, she sighed. "But chances are, he won't be taking me back. Arthur ground more on his nerves than I first thought." Taking in a deep breath, she turned her head to face him. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Depends, Doctor. Am I suitable to engage in such a dangerous activity?"

"Yes." Standing up, she turned to face him. "It seems like a rather tame activity. You're picking."

"The activity?" He smiled. "Well, I can come up with a few," he said, nuzzling her collarbone.

"Picking the movie, not the activity!" Thalia sighed exasperatedly. Laughing at his attempts, she said, "You were such a respectful boy."

"'Were'?"

"You look for every opportunity to try and kiss me."

"Because now I know I can," he replied with an easy smile, kissing her collarbone and standing. "So, how are we for, ah let's say, going to bed?"

"Tired?"

"Yeah, it's been a tiring six days. I've gotten maybe twelve hours of sleep."

"Donnie! Why are you doing that to yourself?"

He shrugged. "It's habit."

"Did you do this to yourself when you were building this machine the first time?"

He remained quiet, and she scowled. "Damn it, Donnie, why?" A stern expression crossed her face. "That's it. Go to your room."

"I'm already going."

"Without me," she pointed a finger at his bedroom door. "Now go. If you need me, I'll be in the lab."

Stepping into the elevator, she waited for the guard to hit the proper button sequence. "Donnie, go!" she hissed, pointing to the stairs. Rolling his eyes, he reluctantly climbed the stairs, hearing the elevator make its descent. Staring at the ceiling, the edges of the ceiling blurred onto nothing.

_"Where are we going?"_

_"Mister Bakshi and his superior have heard of your astounding progress," Ms. Hyde nodded her head, making her elegantly styled copper curls sway. "So they want to see you."_

_"Really?"_

_She nodded again, smoothing down her black dress. Splaying her fingers out against the lace back, she said, "Mister Whitehall is a very busy man, so the fact he decided to take time out of his busy schedule to come and see you is a very big deal."_

_"What does he want to see?"_

_"We are having issues with some of our compliancy machines, for they are not having the results we need. Our Gifted program is suffering. He will reward you greatly if you can help us."_

_"I have helped, Ms. Hyde. The active camouflage diodes I designed--"_

_"S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't want that kind of technology falling into the wrong hands. For say, imagine if someone had managed to weave those into fabric, then they could spy on us and sell intelligence, and your inventions, to the enemy. There has even been talk that those designs had been leaked, that your organic, light-emitting diodes were fabricated into a stealth suit for vigilante usage in New York."_

_"Had that talk been true?"_

_"As soon as I heard, I asked my men to go to New York and investigate the matter personally. They reported to me that the rumors were falsified."_

_Reaching an open door, they walked in. She gestured for him to take a seat, and Mister Bakshi entered from a separate room, a man with white hair behind him. "Sunil, Daniel," she bowed her head slightly to the other man._

_"Christina," Daniel extended his hand, taking her hand and pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "Good to see you. How has your progress with Project Blizzard been?"_

_"Better than I first believed," she smiled. "Which speaking of, I have my new scientist here for your demonstration."_

_"Donnie Gill," Daniel acknowledged him, and Donnie stood, shaking the older man's hand. "Ms. Hyde here has told me of your astounding progress with some of our lower projects."_

_"I wasn't aware she was reporting to superiors."_

_"She is a superior, Mister Gill," Daniel replied, "and one of my closest colleagues. She was set to take over when I pass, but passed the honor to Mister Bakshi. The fact she's taken an interest in you is a rather special thing to take notice in."_

_"Let's start the demonstration." She led him into a different room with a strange standing machine. "Climb up, Donnie."_

_Placing his feet on the designated areas, she clamped metal shackles around his ankles. Straightening herself, she reached up and tightened similar shackles around his wrists. "Imagine if I were to start the Compliancy Program. The subject in your position, Donnie, isn't responding well to the treatments. How would I remedy that?"_

_"Keeping their eyes open," he replied. "That way their attention isn't diverted to something else."_

_"How would I do that?"_

_"You'd need to use a metal that is soft enough to mold into clamps to hold the eyelids; but the metal can't be sharp enough to puncture the skin."_

_"How long do you think you'll need to find a metal that can do that?"_

_"A few days, a week at most."_

_"Then get started," she replied, releasing him. "I have to leave this Friday and would much appreciate that you have something prepared by then."_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_"I am serious," she said authoritatively. "When I leave, you and Project Blizzard fall under the jurisdiction of Mister Bakshi. It is only because of my insistence that he hasn't sent you to the movie room."_

_A fleeting look of panic crossed his face. "Take me with you."_

_"You know I can't." She frowned. "Hopefully I'll see you again."_

_"You're not coming back?"_

_"I'll be needed elsewhere when I return. I hope you shall be here should I come back." She looked up, her silver eyes blank and emotionless for a brief moment before she blinked. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his temple, pulling back and leaving the room._

_"Women can be so curious," Daniel remarked, "yet she is our organization's finest. Have some men escort Mister Gill here back to his room. Have his notes on the Compliancy Program's modifications be added. Oh and give him a reward. That's our motto, isn't it?"_

With the faint feeling he was being watched, his eye opened just a crack. Thalia stood in the partially open doorway, leaning on the frame. "Good morning."

"Morning? It's only seven in the evening."

"It's nine a.m., Donnie." Shutting the door behind her, she turned on the light, bathing the room in a warm glow. With her hair up, she held a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. "You needed the sleep."

"Fourteen hours of it?"

"Now you're almost caught up on it," she announced cheerfully, sitting down on the bed. As she drank her coffee in early morning quiet, he watched the sunlight filter through her hair, highlighting the bridge of her nose and cheekbone, casting beams of light on her collarbone, which glimmered with her necklace chain and otherwise laid bare. Her ornery camisole strap sat on the curve of her shoulder, slowly slipping down as she took sips of her morning beverage. Detail after detail came to life in the light, like the faint lip gloss imprint on the cup's rim. And like the smudges of it on the underside of her bottom lip.

The imagery was absolutely beautiful.

Or maybe he needed some coffee to snap him out of this haze.

"Give me that," he grunted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, snatching her cup from her hands. Throwing his head back, he downed the rest of her coffee, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. She watched with a blank stare, then her right eyebrow crept up into a well known position used for confusion or teasing. "What?"

"Thirsty?"

He matched her blank stare, pursing his lips. "Tired."

"And grumpy," she pouted, swiping the cup away from him. "Get your own coffee."

"Oh well good morning to you, too."

"Your head looks better." She set her cup down on the nightstand, edging closer to him. "The bruise is looking better." Swinging a leg over his lap, his eyes widened.

"Thalia, not sure if you got the memo, but that's not the brightest idea," he said quickly. Giving him a look, she straddled his thighs, taking his face in her hands. "All I'm saying is you would've been in for an uncomfortable ride." His face reddened and he laughed wryly, much to Thalia's shocked expression.

"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?"

"Sorry."

"And now you've made a fool out of yourself," she scolded him, poking the bruise. He winced. "Besides, it's not like I've seen everything anyways."

"It was only once, Thalia. And I know even  _you_  aren't that perceptive."

"Collective experiences," the corner of her lips pulled up into a ghostly smile. "Like the time you went naked because you left your towel in your room."

"You saw that?"

Another ghostly smile crossed her face. "Even  _I_  am not that perceptive, but..." 

"Jesus, Thalia. Must you torment me?" He laughed bitterly as she checked his hair for the end of the bruise. "Why don't I have any good stories about you roaming the house naked?"

"I've done it before, but you've been too holed up in your room to take notice. Especially the cake batter incident." She prodded at the end of the end of the bruise. "I cleaned batter out of places only you and my father have seen."

"What were you mixing that batter with?"

"Wouldn't you like to know that the whole story was a big load of crap?"

"And here I thought I was getting excited for something."

"Wasn't that the reason you wouldn't let me sit on your lap?"

Pitching forward, he took her hands. Laughing, he replied, "There's no right answer that lets me walk away unscathed, is there?"

"Afraid not." Stretching her arms over her head, he let out a noise of protest when his arms were quickly jerked over his head.

"Thalia--"

"Nothing feels better than a good stretch in the morning, am I right?"

"I have something to tell you."

She let their arms fall between them. "What is it?"

"I... I think I know who Hyde is."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Coulson."

Looking up from Anna's file, he saw Skye standing above him, twiddling her thumbs. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," she looked down. "Donnie and Thalia are here to discuss something important with us?"

"This is the first contact they've made since Ian took them. Wonder what's going on." Rising to his feet, he followed her to their lounge, where both teenagers sat in uneasy silence. "Donnie, Thalia, what's with the visit?"

"Donnie said he knows who Hyde is."

When everyone fell silent, Coulson sat down. "What do you mean?"

"Let's start with another question. Did Hydra get to me first?" Donnie asked, his eyes dark and his face displaying several emotions.

"Donnie..."

"Answer the question."

"Yes. Believe us when we say we tried everything, but you were unresponsive even to Simmons, and we weren't aware that you were..."

"Brainwashed?" He stood up. "Is that all I am, just damaged goods to you guys like she is? We're your charity cases because we were victimized by people that wanted to control our minds and abilities?"

Thalia jumped up, holding her hands up. "Whoa, what the hell Donnie? That's way out of line!"

"Do you want me to lie to them, Thalia? Do you want me to not tell them that your nightmares consist of being beaten, being forced to work for Hydra? That mine consist of being unknowingly coerced into making their brainwashing machines work? That some delusional woman who went by Ms. Hyde left me there to be brainwashed because I wouldn't go on with her advances?" He suddenly looked very plaintive. "Thalia, I know you want to fix the problem, but they can do the job better."

Coulson looked at Skye, then back to Donnie. "Ms. Hyde?"

"Yeah, this person is a woman named Christina Beckers who is obsessed with Thalia."

"Wait, you said she left you to be brainwashed because you wouldn't take on her advances?" Coulson furrowed his eyebrows. "Because she sounds pretty obsessed with you."

Thalia wiped a hand across her forehead. "Is it hot in here?"

"Another question: was my getting shot in the shoulder back in France some big cover-up or did it actually happen?"

"That happened," Thalia panted, fanning herself. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because I seem to remember looking off the side of the Maribel Del Mar until I got shot in the same spot that the bullet in Lyon got me."

"Could be really bad coincidence."

Everyone jumped when the light overhead blew out, showering people with sparks. Thalia swayed on her feet, then crumpled to the floor, beginning to convulse. "What's wrong?" Donnie reached for her, but was pulled back by Skye. "Let go of me!"

"Thalia doesn't lose control like this," she replied softly and fearfully. Watching with horror, Thalia began gasping for air, her face ashen and eyes half closed. "Simmons, I think Thalia's having a seizure. We need medics down here, now!" Coulson barked into his comm, kneeling down to her side.

"Thalia's never had a seizure."

"Simmons said they happen in a number of ways, but some are in response to traumatic brain injuries and excessively high body temperatures," Skye replied. Pulling him out of the way, Simmons joined Coulson on the floor, moving Thalia into the recovery position.

"Unh..." she whimpered softly, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Simmons pulled out a penlight, moving it between her eyes.

"Can anyone tell me how she had one?"

"She kept asking if the room was hot, and she kept fanning herself." Skye released Donnie's arms, checking the thermostat. "But it's only seventy in here. And she's never complained about the room temp before."

"Hot..."

"Donnie?" Simmons looked up. "Will you come over here and place your hand on her forehead? Reintroduce her to cool temperatures."

Nodding, he slowly knelt to the floor, placing his hand on her sweaty forehead. "She's never had one of these before."

"I'm wondering if she's been overdue for one, due to her concussion from back in April. Or it could be her internal temperature finally spiked somehow."

Thalia sighed. "Good... boy..."

Donnie jumped away, eyes widening in fear. "That's not Thalia."

"I wouldn't do that," she said matter-of-factly. "Because your hand is the only thing preventing the brain in this pretty little head from cooking."

Everyone backed away. "You're Hyde."

She smiled graciously. "In her flesh." Turning to Donnie, she said, "Now if you wouldn't mind helping me stand, dear."

His face was set in defeat. Slowly, he helped her stand, placing his hand on her forehead. "Ms. Hyde."

"Donnie, I've missed you," she said sweetly. "Would you believe me if I told you that I've been looking for you?"

"No."

"Really? I told you I'd come back for you." Looking down and back up, she added, "Granted not in this body, but she's gotten something accomplished in it that I couldn't do in any other."

He looked disgusted. "You're delusional if you think I'm going to kiss you."

"Tut tut, being disrespectful will gain you nothing." With a cold smile and a condemnatory tone, she added, "Except the dead body of this pretty girl in your arms." With a mocking edge, she asked, "Or maybe I'll just torture her? Donnie dear, you know I don't like torturing people, especially people you're so close to. Your screams agonize me."

Spinning her around, he pressed his lips to hers, remaining stiff and detached. Pulling back, she ran her tongue over her lips. "Hmm. Cold, just like the rest of you, I suppose?"

"I guess so."

"You guess so?" She smiled like a crocodile, making him cringe.

"Why do you care?"

"This girl happens to have a very detailed memory. I know you're a very shy boy. And I know you can put two and two together."

"Coulson, you requested medics," May entered the room with two medics on her tail. "Why is she standing up?"

"Thalia isn't available right now," Hyde pulled herself from Donnie's arms. "So if it isn't Melinda May. It's been a long time. Last time I saw you was in Bahrain, wasn't it?" She smiled when May's face paled. "A young agent having to take down a league of brainwashed Bahrainis to get to the brain of the operation: a Bahraini woman with the strange ability to hypnotize people and turn them into brainwashed pawns capable of just about anything. And you took them all out.

"When you got to this woman, she went down easily," she continued. "But then you did something just  _awful_." Hyde smiled maliciously, letting Thalia's hands spark in excitement. "Would you mind sharing with the class what it was?"

"She died from electrocution."

"Not true," Hyde nodded. "You see, I was there that fateful day, and if you aren't willing to be honest,  _I_ can always divulge details. Because in Hydra, my specialty is getting people to  see the kinds of monsters they are. It's much easier to mold people into your image when they want to Hyde from the monsters you so desperately want to see."

"What?"

She sighed, looking at Donnie who had a look of revelation on his face. "What is it, dear?"

"Ms. Hyde uses dead bodies to become corporeal."

"Like that man's body I was using back in Brazil. Died from something stomping a hole in his chest." Hyde cleared her throat, watching as Thalia's hand began to spark frantically. "Well, I'm done here. I'll be around. And thank you so much for complying, Donnie."

Like strings on her limbs had been cut, Thalia crumpled to the floor, her head landing on Donnie's jacket. The medics wheeled in a gurney, lifting her delicately. Shining a penlight into her eyes, one of the medics held up a finger. "Can you follow my finger, Miss?" After running his finger back and forth, he looked up. "She's severely disoriented but still reacting to stimuli. But the way she's reacting is weird; she doesn't pick up that something moved in front of her until seconds later, almost like a delayed reaction."

Jemma turned to Coulson. "Sir, do we have the equipment needed for an electroencephalographic reading?"

"Yes. Go get it set up."


	21. Card Tricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I update on Monday this time! Hopefully I will update next Monday as scheduled. While this chapter is a little shorter than the others (this is less than 10k, which is extreme by some standards), I can promise that this one catches up with the show and its events (while skirting around events that may or may not be mentioned in the chapters).

"I feel gross."

"It's okay," he replied, smoothing his hands down her shoulders. Taking her hairbrush, he ran it through her silky black hair again, feeling her fingernails biting into his thigh. "Thalia, retract the claws."

"Sorry." She rubbed the reddened area with her fingertips. "It's just I feel so nasty and violated."

"Have you tried taking a shower?"

"I'm nauseous."

"Have you tried eating?"

"Nothing sounds eatable."

"There is just no pleasing you, is there?" Setting down the hairbrush, he wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on her shoulder. "Princess Thalia cannot be appeased?"

"No she cannot." She began shivering, and Donnie pulled away, draping a blanket over her shoulders. "Because Princess Thalia hasn't felt this cold since waking up from her coma."

"How about I get you some of my thick socks and I'll go downstairs and make chicken noodle soup for the both of us?"

"Such a considerate boyfriend," she laughed, shivering in delight when he took one of her feet, placing the thick, fuzzy and warm socks on her feet one by one. "God, that feels amazing," she sighed, reaching down to run her fingers along the soft cotton. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." Reaching forward and brushing her lips against his forehead, he stilled.

"What's wrong?"

"Remember that talk we had before we went to see the team?"

"Ms. Hyde." Thalia stood. "It rouses memories."

"She possessed you."

She creased her forehead delicately. "I'm sorry?"

"When Agent Simmons ran an EEG on you, she determined your seizure was from Ms. Hyde taking control of your body; it was really violent, interfering with the electricity in the base. She thought that was from you trying to fight her off."

"Does he know?"

"Yeah. They called him and filled him in." Donnie blew out a puff of air. "Mad and scared were two of the biggest understatements in regards to his behavior when he got there."

She gestured to his head. "Can I see?"

"Go ahead. I mean knock yourself out. Jesus," he grumbled. "You know what I mean."

Placing her hands on his head, she quickly kissed his forehead before closing her eyes.

_"Yes, Ian, we need you down here now." Coulson sighed, pressing his fingers to his forehead. "Thalia had a bit of an accident and you need to sign for consented treatment."_

_"American Girl" by Bonnie McKee began buzzing on his phone, and he looked down, seeing her contact light up the screen, which was a picture of her sitting on a barstool in his thermal shirt, a coffee cup in hand. Ending the call, he jabbed his thumb towards the outside of the room. Coulson held up a finger. "The nature of the reason for consented treatment? Well, she... she had a seizure."_

_A loud noise through the phone made Coulson flinch. "She's being examined by Simmons as we speak, but we need consented treatment to perform an EEG on her." The line went dead. "Well, he's mad."_

_"He just found out his daughter had a seizure," Donnie replied. "Pretty sure 'pissed off' is a more accurate representation of his mood."_

_"Donnie," Coulson looked up. "Would you sit?"_

_"But Thalia's phone just called me."_

_"It's probably just her reconnecting with reality," Coulson assured him. Leaning against the door, he refused to move. The older man sighed, unbuttoning his jacket and sitting more comfortably in his chair. "Donnie, how did you uncover these memories?"_

_He shrugged. "I saw fragmented pieces in my sleep."_

_"And you didn't see anything else?" Coulson prodded. "Not how you were pulled from the ocean?"_

_He shook his head. "I feel horrible."_

_"It's not fair what they made you do," Coulson agreed. "You're a kid."_

_Donnie looked down. "Not so much of one anymore."_

_"Look, I'll level with you. I feel the same way. But think of it this way: because you're here, we have an advantage that Hydra doesn't. You and Thalia. Two super geniuses, one of which is an Asgardian. That's something they sorely want."_

_"Really? Were you thinking that through when you said that? Treating us like dangers to your existence is what wound both of us up in Hydra in the first place! Because I built a machine that went haywire, you sent me straight to Hydra, gift wrapped! Because she has the ability to resist brainwashing, they beat her! And now that we are here, at S.H.I.E.L.D, we're--"_

_"They tortured her?"_

_"Yeah. When I was still there, Mister Bakshi kept talking about how an acquisition that they found had the ability to resist the brainwashing. So Bakshi said they had to use barbaric tactics to get her to comply. I don't know what they did, but she screamed for hours on end. Until one day, she escaped; that was the day they..." He sucked his lower lip into his mouth, chewing on it._

_"Oh."_

_Ian pushed the door open, knocking Donnie off his feet. "Where is she?"_

_"She's in the medbay." Coulson stood, buttoning his jacket and leading him to a room with all glass walls. Upon entry, he crouched next to the bed, cupping her face, her brown eyes empty and blank. "How is she?"_

_"It's not clear. She's still reacting and there's still the gap, but it's getting smaller."_

_Coulson raised his eyebrow at Simmons. "So she's getting better, then?"_

_"Yes. But she's still incredibly disoriented, I haven't been able to inquire about how she feels considering she's slowly regaining the ability to speak."_

_"She can't speak?" Ian stood up. "I'll consent or whatever you need, but run that test. She's all I have."_

Removing her hands from his head, she rubbed them together, making lightning quick bolts of electricity dance across Donnie's skin when she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ouch."

"I know you're being sarcastic." She smiled, coming so close to his lips he rocked backwards. "Doesn't mean it gets to me."

"Who said I was making icy comments?" His eyes connected with hers, and she began moving millimeter by millimeter until he could practically taste her, a sweet spice like cinnamon mixed with chocolate...

"Thalia, you know you can't."

"I have accelerated healing." She groaned softly, pressing her forehead against his. "This should be healed up by now."

"Except Agent Simmons isn't skipping a step or overlooking anything. No excitement or increased heart rate."

"My heart rate is elevated as it is."

"Any higher than it normally is."

"Am I even allowed the privilege of kissing my boyfriend?"

"Nope. Like I said, she's being very thorough about this." Wrapping his arms around her, he picked her up, carrying her downstairs. "No abnormal elevation in heart rate and medical mumbo jumbo."

She tucked her feet under her as he set her down in a bar chair. "Mumbo jumbo? Well, you're not wrong."

"You share the same degrees."

"Wrong. I have a degree in biochemistry and one in genetics. She has one in biochemistry but the other one is in a different field."

"Ah. Had me going there," Donnie replied sarcastically, boiling chicken broth and noodles. Upon Thalia's inquisitive look, he replied, "What? I don't like chicken in the soup because it gets between my teeth."

"No judging here," she answered, leaning forward and tucking her arms under her when she leaned over the counter. "Chicken strings are gross."

Serving her a bowl, Donnie watched her chase noodles around the inside of the bowl. Being relatively quick eaters, they finished quickly, cleaning up and stepping into the elevator. The man in the elevator stopped her, saying, "You're not permitted for lab activities, Miss Quinn."

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn." Ian appeared in front of them, tapping his foot. "You know I told you no."

"But Donnie said he needs help with the--"

"Thalia, I said no and I meant no!" Ian barked, making her jump. The lights flickered. "I meant no because Agent Simmons said for me to keep a close eye on you. She called me to tell you that they need us for a discussion." Looking at Donnie, he added, "Between me and her."

"Okay." Donnie helped her from the elevator. "Go. I'll hold down the fort for a bit."  
~*~  
Simmons looked around, seeing Ian and Thalia. "Where's Donnie?"

"What?" Thalia looked at Ian. "You told me they wanted to talk to the two of us!"

"We did ask for Donnie to be here. Most everyone here is more comfortable with him."

"She's my daughter, damn it!" Ian replied angrily. "I should be the first one to hear about her health."

"Well, you can hear about the protection she'll need from Hyde." Simmons held up a bracelet. "It has similar characteristics to the electromagnetic shielding around the Cage. It will protect her from any other Hyde-related incidents." Taking the bracelet, Thalia inspected it. "But there are a few drawbacks."

"Like?" When she slipped it on, she gasped, placing her hands on her head. The bracelet locked around her wrist. "What is it doing? Make it stop!"

"That is the only thing we couldn't fix. It's also a barrier that shuts her brain off from the outside world. Translation: until that bracelet comes off, she doesn't have any powers. No controlling electromagnetic fields, no generating storms, no ice powers. Just normal."

"How long do I need to wear it?"

"A week should gather sufficient data needed to make an assessment on the Hyde front." Simmons smiled. "And I was a bit mistaken. During the week you have to wear it, you will not be able to display any outward signs of powers. But due to all the power you have, electricity wise, since it will be contained, you will be very wired, very jittery and energetic. I would suggest working out daily to take off the worst of the edge. And obviously, you cannot perform in laboratory activities during the study period."

"Great." She clenched her jaw. Taking a seat, she shivered then scowled. "I suppose this shaking is part of the jittery feeling?"

"Afraid so. The reason you feel this way is actually quite fascinating: because you possess so much excess electricity, the remainder that doesn't go in your body can somehow switch places with the amount in your brain and actually sense different animate and inanimate objects then return and tell your brain that the objects are within your close proximity. Now that you don't have it, you're constantly scanning your surroundings. A humanized form of sonar!"

"Sonar that is now useless."

"Don't be down, dear. It's only for a few short days." Simmons beckoned her to a different area. "I must inform you, all the allegations about not engaging in extracurricular activities with Donnie are entirely false. I told him that so he wouldn't be embarrassed. That bracelet tracks your vitals, so..."

"Good to keep in mind," Thalia nodded sarcastically. "I'll be sure to share it."

Rubbing her wrist, she stood, feeling like her skin was crawling. Ian frowned, taking her head in his hands and kissing her forehead. Looking up, she traced her fingers along a scar next to his right eye. "What happened here?"

"Just a bit of an accident, is all." He smiled at her, seeing Simmons' dark stare out of the corner of his eye. "Let's get home, shall we?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Sitting at his desk, Ian held a small picture in his hands, one of Thalia and Veronica when they were smaller. Veronica only five and Thalia nearly seven, they were perched happily on the front porch, an ice cream sandwich in Thalia's small hand and a bowl in the other girl's hands. The memory of that day came back clear.

_"Daddy, can I ask you something?"_

_Ian looked up from his paper, seeing Thalia standing right in front of him with her fingers twined together. "Yeah Tally. What's wrong?"_

_"Veronica isn't really my sister, is she?"_

_"What makes you think that?"_

_"Because she doesn't look like you."_

_"Neither do you, Tally."_

_"Mommy said I have your eyebrows and expressions." She sat on the edge of the coffee table. "I won't be mad if she isn't my sister, I don't care, I love her the same."_

_Ian sighed, leaning forward in his chair. "No, Thalia, Veronica isn't your sister. I let Marie keep her here because she's a friend of mine whom I owe a favor or two." Thalia shot up when the doorbell rang, racing to the door. "Who is it, honey?"_

_"They brought ice cream!"_

_Standing, he casually made his way to the door. At it stood two men, one in a turtleneck and the other in a leather jacket. "Ian, how are you?"_

_"John," he replied, "I'm fine."_

_"Squirt here seemed to light up when she saw the treats we brought."_

_"My name is Thalia," she pouted. "And I'm_ _six_ _. Squirt wasn't seven or human, he was a turtle."_

_The other man raised an eyebrow. "She's a bit of a genius."_

_"A bit?" Ian smiled. "She's only_ _six_ _with an IQ of 150 and growing."_

_"So she's a bit of a super genius," John remarked. "Impressive, Ian. She's deserving of the chocolate sandwiches I brought, after all." Handing the box to her, she scampered away happily, calling for Veronica. "She's quite the kid. Her mom must be quite the looker."_

_"A Greek redhead."_

_"A Greek redhead? I'll be damned. Would you believe it, Grant?"_

_"I'm not sure I would." Grant cocked his head to the side. "But she does have the kind of cheekbones for it."_

_"You'd have to pardon our fogginess. I don't think Greece is a S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra allied country."_

_"Understandable." He smiled courteously. "Shall we go to my office?"_

_"Sure. Do you still have some of that Craig from Scotland? I could sure use some."_

_Upon entry into his office, Ian spun around, glaring at John. "You stay away from her."_

_Grant pointed his gun at Ian. "Back down, Grant." John waved a hand at the other man. When he tucked his gun away, John turned back to Ian. "Why would I be close in the first place?"_

_"You know why."_

_"Care to refresh my memory, Grant?"_

_"One of Quinn Worldwide's employees stole from his business, and turned one of the stolen ideas into a weapon. Weaponized botulinum toxin injected into the veins or muscles caused people to become paralyzed to the point that they died from asphyxiation or cardiac arrest."_

_John made a sour face. "Yeah? What about it?"_

_"Thalia was the person that made this discovery."_

_John looked at Ian, his face showcasing shock. "You're kidding."_

_Grant shrugged. "I told you, she's a bit of a genius."_

_"Thalia is a bright kid. I refuse to let you guys take her in."_

_"Daddy!" Thalia poked her head into the office. "Marie wants to go get some pictures developed. Can I go?" Her eyes quickly darted to Grant, then to John, who had his hand on Ian's shoulder._

_"Sure." He nodded. When she disappeared, John laughed. "What?"_

_"Did you honestly think you can keep her in the dark about this? Hydra were the bad guys she learned about in school. How long do you think it'll be until she realizes that large, scary, five headed monster from her mother's bedtime stories is her father? A man who she looks up to is a monster?"_

_"Don't you dare act like I was drawn into this willingly," Ian spat._

_"No. I'm just keeping your ass safe from the rest of us. Imagine what Hydra could do with a super genius that's not human." John frowned. "Don't play stupid with me. S.H.I.E.L.D already has her on their Index. So imagine my confusion when I was assigned to find out the reason behind why the seven year old daughter of a business tycoon is on a list of people who have superpowers. Until I dug up an old medical report from an Italian hospital. Thalia Lorelei Quinn was brought into a hospital in early April of 2002, in hypovolemic shock and unconscious with her arm nearly torn off after a rabid dog attacked her. They cleaned up the damage as best as they could. When she was sent home, her doctor was concerned with why no rabies vaccine courses were performed, so she sent for four different tests and found out that through some miracle, the young girl never contracted anything from the bite. And another astonishing note: they picked broken pieces of dog teeth from the bite where the lower jaw hit her shoulder blade. The teeth shattered on impact._

_"So it made sense. She has bones far denser than normal and blood capable of destroying some tough stuff, like rabies," John remarked. "But Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D only have my view on the situation: she survived because she has a healing factor. A healing factor that regenerates skin and muscles at a faster rate than our human rate; one day, they said they would be using samples of her skin and muscles to create types of spray on skin and muscles. Years away, but still. One day they'll be vivisecting her and taking samples of her body for quicker healing of armed forces." John looked grim. "So as long as our agreement still stands, I keep her safe. But the second it's broken, all bets are off. All clear?"_

_He reluctantly nodded. John smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you," he replied, leaving the office and leaving Ian with the odd feeling that he'd just been played._

"Hey, are those people still coming?"

Looking up, Thalia stood above him. "No, sweetheart. I told them you were ill and that it would be highly recommended that they not come as you are contagious."

She nodded and left, leaving him with nostalgia and the bitter taste of chocolate ice cream in his mouth.  
~*~  
"No," Donnie rushed forward, taking the small chamber from the assistant's hands. "You need to be careful with that. The barium hydroxide chamber is definitely one of the first things that is made, but it needs to be kept safe until it can be put in."

Placing it back on the table, he stepped into the elevator, tapping his feet absently until the doors opened again. Quickly whipping up a sandwich, he cut it in half. "Why can't we go?"

He looked up. Thalia was twisting her hair into a ponytail, her phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder. "It's just the beach. And I already told you I would accept some guys to come with us. Please? Explain this logic, Dad. Three guys keeping surveillance on me, Donnie and the general public will be looking at me. And you're worried about what?" She scoffed. "Really, are you that paranoid? Okay, okay, I'm still not getting the logic, but could we go at least for an hour?"

"Thalia, why would you want to go to the beach when you can't swim?"

"There are other things to do other than swim in the saltwater, genius. This one isn't like the beaches you'd go to in Delaware, Donnie. Sand and snow? Disastrous."

"I keep telling you, that was in December!"

"Fine." Stabbing the screen of her phone with her finger, she scowled. "What is it with him?"

"What's wrong?"

"I asked if we could have lunch at the beach and I got shut down, as per usual," she frowned. Holding out half of his sandwich, she looked up, offering a quiet "thank you" while taking the sandwich half. "Got all paranoid over snipers wanting to take me out."

"The man is overprotective. But it comes with the territory."

She snorted with a pickle slice in her mouth. "You speak like it's familiar to you." Looking up, she watched Donnie smile his smirking smile and couldn't help but laugh, making his smile wider. "What, you know what it is because of all this?" Thalia pulled on her ponytail. "Don't go getting ahead of yourself, Donnie."

"I'm not getting ahead of myself."

"Then come back down to Earth and..." she paused, pursing her lips. "Damn it, you win. I can't finish it."

"I finally beat you in a conversation." He smiled, hugging her lightly. "I'll be down in the lab. The assistant scientist your dad hired keeps messing around with the chemicals and it's really starting to worry me."

"Be safe."

"I will, Mom."

"Don't call me that." Thalia stood on her toes, standing on the toes of Donnie's shoes. He took her hands, examining her left wrist. He ran his thumb along the glossy, obsidian band of metal, studying it closer. "What?"

"I'm going to assume that since it's skin tight," he placed the edge of his fingernail under the seam where it met her hand, experimentally trying to pry it away, "it's using invasive methods of your vital tracking. Minimal, but invasive is the most accurate. Small needles for the most comfort." He wrapped his hand around it, leaving his thumb in the palm of her hand. "Waterproof."

"Good. Now quit procrastinating and go deal with Scary Lab Guy."

Stepping off his shoes, she quickly kissed his knuckles. Then before he could reciprocate, she skipped away, disappearing around the corner. Shaking his head, he stepped back into the elevator. When the doors opened, the assistant rushed forward, his goggles in hand. "I know you asked me to design the interface circuit, but my hands are too shaky. I can't keep them still long enough."

"It has to be made through the computer program," Donnie pointed to the etching station. "When I first designed it, my partner, he..." he paused, "he told me that it was too intricate for handwork. He also said it'd take the world's best neurosurgeon, but that was him after a few beers."

"Why isn't he here, then?"

Donnie picked up an etching plate, moving over to the computer. "Because he's dead."  
***  
Shutting the bathroom door, she pressed her back into the wood. Picking dirt out from under her fingernails, she turned on the sink, running her fingernails under the water. As gross as it was, gardening was somehow very therapeutic, pulling weeds from the impressive flower garden. The way her fingers dug into the soft soil and pulled the offensive green weeds from the garden. It felt like hours, the steady yet lulling rhythm of pull and toss, pull and toss...

Digging out a nail brush, she soaped up her hands, running the bristles under her nails. Each rhythm was soothing, scrape, scratch, scrape, scratch...

Rinsing her hands and drying them, she approached Donnie's bedroom door, knocking three times. He opened the door, receiving one of her gracious smiles. "What can I do you for?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." Ducking under his arm, she entered the room, sitting on the bed. "Rough day?"

"Actually, no," she replied, surprised by the notes of happiness in her voice. "I gardened today."

"But you hate gardening."

"It's called trying out new things. You would be an expert in the art, like having a girlfriend."

"You wound me," he teased, plugging in his phone. "My day was interesting."

"How so?"

"The lab assistant almost broke the barium hydroxide chamber and made chloroform."

"And is there a reason behind it?"

"He tried arguing with me that he wasn't making chloroform but a safer substitute for barium hydroxide."

"But that's the only safe substance to go in the machine!"

"Now you see my predicament." Sitting behind her, he gathered her hair behind her. "Your hair's getting long."

"I was thinking about getting it cut." She turned to face him, a smile on her face. "When you get yours cut, too."

"I'll get it trimmed. And I asked about your hair because I see you getting freaked out about its length every so often. I think it's because you're subconsciously worried it'll get tangled in your stitches." When her fingers absently found the back of her neck, Donnie pulled her hair away. "See?"

"In the metaphysical sense that I can see how the pain affects my everyday life in the case that I'm always wearing my hair up now, then yes, I can." Taking his right hand, she inspected the pale scar on the back of his hand. "Much like the way you kinda wince when I touch the scar."

"True." Turning her head slightly, she said, "I have a proposition. If we can keep it quiet, we can go out on a little venture into the outside world. In say, two days?"

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. Getting up, he returned moments later with her hairbrush, pulling her hair from the elastic. Finding a flower in her hair, he teased it out, setting it on the bed. Running the brush through her hair, he watched as she tilted her head back with each brushstroke until he was reaching her forehead. "Donnie?"

"Yes, Thalia?"

"Would you brush behind my ears and at the nape of my neck?" Shifting her head forward, he pressed the brush bristles into her scalp, running it up the back of her head from the nape of her neck. She made an indescribable noise, beginning to pant heavily.

"You're getting awfully worked up." Donnie put the brush down. Running his fingers up her throat, he tilted her chin up, coming to his knees so he could see her face. "Is it the ASMR?"

"The fact you know what that is concerns me." She opened her eyes, her pupils wide and blown out then quickly constricting. "Hypersensitive, remember?"

"Uh huh," he remarked. "So if you're so sensitive, would I get a reaction from doing this?" He brushed his nose across the back of her ear.

"Not really," she shrugged. "It doesn't always work that way."

The door opened, and an unfamiliar person peered in. "Donnie?"

"Yeah?" He looked up. "Oh I'm sorry. Did he not tell you where your room was?"

The person shook their head. "Afraid not."

"I'm gonna go ask. I'll be right back." Standing, Donnie left the room, leaving Thalia and the man alone.

She cocked her head to the side. "He's letting you stay here?"

"Yeah, Mister Quinn gave me a room here for the next few days. He said he does it for all the staff, should they require it."

"Do you have a name?"

"It depends. Do  _you_  have one?"

"I asked first."

"My name isn't really important. After all, I'm only here for a few days, aren't I?"

Thalia shrugged. "Only until I'm cleared to work downstairs. I'm his actual lab partner."

"Why can't you work?"

"Medical issues and conflicts of interest. Donnie told my doctor he didn't want the chemicals possibly hindering my recovery."

"Hey, talked with Mister Quinn." Donnie reappeared. "Your room is downstairs, past the kitchen, and um... oh yeah, last door on the right. Can't miss it."

"Thank you," the man nodded. "See you around."

When he left, Thalia turned to Donnie. "He didn't happen to give you his name, did he?"

"Just call him Edward. He kinda looks like an Edward." He crossed his arms. "So, back to what we were doing previously?"

"Nope. I'm taking a shower." She slid off the bed, heading into the bathroom. "You don't have to keep me company, Donnie. I'll be fine."

"'Have to keep you company'? Thalia, who said I was forced against my will to keep you company?"

"You and I both know neither of us wants to hear the answer to that question."

After a long pause, he finally replied, "I'm going down to the lab", leaving his room quietly. With a frown on her face, she shed her shirt, weighed down with the regret of her words. Still half dressed, she fled the bathroom, speeding down the stairs towards the elevator. Slipping into the box before the doors shut, she slammed the door close button. She stared at Donnie, who looked anywhere but her.

The words left her in a rush of air. "I'm sorry. I was rough and callous and rude--"

"Rough and callous are synonyms."

"I was mean. It was below the belt."

"No kidding."

She promptly bit down softly on her lip. "Donnie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Don't."

She looked down. Reaching across to open the elevator doors, she gasped when he took her hand. "Don't be sorry. You were only saying what was true."

"At the expense of this," she replied softly, shaking her hand. "I don't... I wish it were simpler. I wish that there weren't all the politics. Everything done has to be planned in advance; something as small as a kiss is a scandal." She looked at her bracelet. "Someone's always watching."

"Not always."

"Yes, always!" She tensed her jaw. "Every single damn day since I woke up from that damn coma I've felt a pair of eyes on me at all times of the damn day! It's insistent, it's driving me crazy, and I can't do anything about it! Do you know why, Donnie? Because the name Quinn is tacked on the end of my goddamn name!" She winced, grabbing her wrist. "You're lucky."

Opening the doors, she stepped out, heading back to the bathroom. Opening the button on her pants, she shimmied out of them, pulling the bobby pins from her hair. Approaching the antique vanity, she sat down, unclasping her necklace, adding it to a small jewelry dish. Observing her reflection, she noticed it was smudged with a fine dusting of soil, a few shades lighter than her hair. Sitting straight, she examine the scars below the underwire of her bra, rubbing a small amount of Mederma into the crescents. Reaching around to unclasp her bra, she stilled when she heard a door open behind her. Turning, she jumped an inch at the man from earlier hung in the doorway. "You're the girl from earlier, right?"

Reaching for her robe, she tightened the silky sash around her waist. "Did you forget where your room was?" Grabbing her phone, she added, "I could text Donnie."

"No need." Edward crossed his arms. "I'm not sure you are fond of me."

"I'm not sure  _anyone_  would be fond of you when you barge in on them nearly naked."

He laughed. "True."

"You need to leave," she said authoritatively. "Now."

"As you wish," he bowed, a childish dimple in his cheek. "See you around."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Is something wrong with your partner?"

Donnie looked up from his notebook. "I'm not sure how you mean."

"She's not very friendly towards strangers."

"She was abducted once, tortured for information on some government project. After getting out, she's been skeptical about the idea of them being in her home."

"Her home?"

"You don't pay attention to the news much, do you?" Donnie chuckled. "She's Ian's daughter."

"Ian Quinn's daughter is your lab partner? The man is a legend and you're working with his protégé? Not bad."

Looking back to his notebook, Donnie popped a few chilled Junior Mints into his mouth. "So I've been told."

"Are you two..?"

"Hm?" He looked up again. "Are we what?"

"Nothing, never mind. It's stupid." Edward put down his tools. "Actually, I have a question. Are you two together?"

"I'm not at the liberty to say. We've technically been together since April." Donnie shrugged. "But  _together_  together, I can't say."

"She sounds really high-maintenance."

"Surprisingly, she isn't." He smiled. "Very calm and collected. Her tastes, however... Very high-maintenance."

"So she appears."

"Yeah, so she appears," Donnie laughed in agreement. Hearing his phone begin to ring, he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Lunchtime." The line went dead.

"Who was it?"

"Thalia, with lunch. We have to go upstairs."

"Why?"

"I accidentally started a grease fire with a Bunsen burner and a missing plate of bacon. Now she doesn't trust me with food down here."

"Smooth. Bet that really cranked up the heat your relationship."

"Ha!" Stepping into the elevator, he left it moments later, a smile still on his face as the kitchen bar came into view. "Hey, Thalia."

"Hi," she waved a spatula. Coming into full view of the kitchen, he felt his jaw drop; Thalia leaned against the counter, fanning herself with a spatula. Strands of hair around her face were wet with sweat.

"You look how I feel!"

"I look like I feel!" Thalia sighed exasperatedly, standing up. Sporadic bruises covered her from shoulders to shins. "Kickboxing is kickass, but it also kicks my ass. Why do you think I'm not sitting?" Cracking her knuckles, she approached the fridge. "So, what're you guys hungry for?"

"You can sit this one out. I'll have a sandwich."

Without complaining, she left, going upstairs to the bathroom. Edward snorted. "So yes or no?"

Donnie closed the fridge door punctually. "So none of your business."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Easing into the hot water, she hissed at the way the heat stabbed at her battered skin. Letting out a sigh of relief, she settled into the tub, feeling the heat begin to sink in. Rubbing her legs, she laid her head on her knees, enjoying the quiet. Needing to keep herself occupied was a very demanding task, so the idea of going for a haircut and having to stay still made her very nervous. But definitely not as nervous as having to get out sometime soon and go back for another round of kickboxing. Behind her, the door opened. "Hungry?" Opening her eyes, Donnie held a tray in his hands, an understanding look on his face. "You looked exhausted, so I figured you'd be in here."

She smiled sleepily. "Taking an Epsom salt bath?"

"Is there any alternative when you just got the crap beat out of you?" He entered the bathroom, pulling the vanity seat towards the edge of the tub. "I used to get them as a kid. When I came home from school, I would always get beat up by this kid, Harry. It persisted until he cracked one of my ribs, then he got carted to juvenile detention."

"He would beat you up to the point where he broke one of your ribs?"

"Actually, one day after school I pushed him back, slipped and landed on my side.  _Then_  he kicked me in the ribs. I'm pretty sure the fall cracked my rib, not him kicking me."

"And yet you let him take the fall for it?" She laughed at her little joke. "Wow. You're a lot darker than I thought."

Reaching over to the other side of the tub, he fastened supports to the ceramic, giving Thalia her lunch. "Pretty simple lunch. Sandwich, carrots and ranch, iron pill and chocolate milk. Didn't want to have to drag you to your room in the event you threw up from either not eating anything or eating too much."

"So," she said, downing her pill and a sip of chocolate milk, "before my lab activities were cut off, I took a sample of my blood and examined it."

"Why?"

"Because my hospital records said before the accident, I wasn't anemic."

"You lost a lot of blood, Thalia. Enough to qualify waking up anemic."

"But it wasn't trauma-related. It was from minute traces of barium hydroxide in my bloodstream."

"The same stuff from the machine?"

"The stuff from your blood. I figured I didn't make it myself." She shrugged. "It explains why we're both a bit pale. Barium hydroxide is corrosive to many metals."

"Hey, it's called porcelain and I rock it. I've always been a little pale. I was raised in  _Delaware_."

"You use that like it's an excuse. You had a driver's license, you could've gone anywhere you wanted yet you  _chose_  to stay. There's the possibility that you could be talking to me with a tan. And yet here we are, two walking snowmen."

"What happened there?"

Looking down, her eyesight focused on a dark bruise along her underarm. "Hit to the side."

"It's really dark."

"Yeah, that means it was a hard hit." Finishing her food, she pressed her hand against her breast, pulling it away to inspect the dark stain. "Damn."

"Here, I got this," Donnie reached over, skimming his fingers along the bruise. Thalia tensed her jaw, hugging her legs with her free arm. "It hurts that much?"

"The cold doesn't help as much as heat does." Moving away from his touch, she hooked her toe around the bathtub plug, yanking it up and letting the water drain. "Hence why the tub was filled with hot water. I'd fill it with cold water if I wanted to reflect on how absolutely maddening you are."

"Really?" The corners of his mouth pulled up into a teasing smile. "Huh. Girls don't have it easy."

"No, they do not," she replied, narrowing her eyes. "My towel, please."

"If you think you're going back for more kickboxing, you're dead wrong." He passed the towel to her. "I will duct tape you into your bed."

"Like hell you will." She stepped out of the tub, walking into her room and grabbing a pair of underwear from her drawer. "I'll do what I want." Every muscle in her body suddenly felt worn out, too weak to move. Pushing past it, she quickly threw on shorts and a tank top, only for a series of yawns to wrack her. "What--?"

"Crushed sleeping pills in your food," he pulled her gently to her bed. "Your dad's orders."

She yawned, falling into the warm blankets. "Why?"

"He saw you and called off your afternoon session. But knowing you he knew you would try and go for it anyways." Donnie shrugged. "So he crushed sleeping pills and mixed it into your food."

She groaned softly, and he brought the blankets up to her chin. Trying to force words past her lips, it was stopped short when darkness began closing in.

"Sleep well, Thalia," Donnie said softly, leaving her to sleep.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"I think you went too far," Donnie could hear Ian snap. "I had to drug my own daughter on Lunesta to get her to sleep."

"She didn't want to waste time." He adjusted the earpiece and passed into the kitchen. "She wanted nobody holding back and I told her I would not."

"I didn't protest when she said she wanted to try out kickboxing. But she is a novice! Do you know how bad she looks right now?"

"She has the muscle memory of learning it. Good strength and aim. She is only that bruised because she's been out of practice."

"Out of practice," Ian laughed breathlessly. "How? Wait, don't tell me, it happened during her Missing Period. During that, she was trained to fight and use weapons."

"Anything is possible, Mister Quinn. All I know is that she has the muscle memory of doing it before. And if the young man listening to the conversation wants to give an input, all he has to do is ask."

Ian's office door opened. "Donnie!"

Wincing, he strolled to the door, stepping into the spacious room. His gaze fell to the redhead woman sitting in a winged chair. "Tasha?"

"Do I know him from somewhere?"

"Yeah. Barton talked about you."

"Barton," Tasha tapped her fingers against her lips. "How is he?"

"Rude."

Tasha smiled briefly. "Give me the device. And don't bother playing innocent, I can hear it buzzing. Where is it?" Pointing to a metal paperweight, she stood, picking it up and finding the small microphone hidden inside. "Now, as I was saying, I don't know what she learned. What I know is that she's done it before." She paced the length of the desk. "And after what Barton saw in February, I'd say she practiced it pretty frequently."

"What happened in February?"

"Anna was sent into a drug cartel to recover our stolen intel. Knowing her skill set, she was allowed to choose how she was going to infiltrate, so she chose to be this hot, brand new DJ known as DJ Venom. The footage we got came from a camera outside the compound." Turning the phone to face them, Donnie and Ian stared at the screen. A woman in spiked high heels, black leather pants, a black tee with a white spider on the front, black claws, and a white eye mask dragged a suitcase behind her, the other hand holding a file with the eagle logo on the front. Stopping, the woman pinched the mask between her claws, pulling it up to her hair.

Ian stepped back. "Thalia?!"

"Now you see why everyone's confused." Natasha tucked away her phone. "Your daughter turns out to be a S.H.I.E.L.D agent who turns out to moonlight as a DJ that covertly retrieves our stolen intel." Tasha brushed her hair back. "Except this happened two months before her accident."

Donnie shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "She could've dressed up as a DJ as kind of like a cover."

"All the equipment is functional and authentic."

"No, no, you aren't getting it. A cover. Chances are they were expecting an armada of agents or whatever, but instead it's one disguised as a DJ. One dressed in shoes that could also function as clubs if the right kick is delivered. And claws that could have metal tips. Thalia-- Sorry, Anna was known for making her own gear. I do not doubt in the least that someone with her intelligence could pull off such a feat."

"The whole circumstance behind Anna is very mysterious. Her missions, her unique clearance... You know your daughter, as Anna, was classified a Level Ten agent, but her clearance is isn't actually as a Level Ten. Think Level Nine. Her file itself is Level Ten." Tasha sighed. "Which is a mystery in itself because an agent's clearance is the same place their files are kept. But it isn't my business. My business is my business. So if you'll excuse me."

When she left, Ian sat down in a chair. "This whole matter is very messy."

"Misplaced files, superhero DJs, Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D," Donnie listed, "sounds more like a disaster."

"Is it bad of me to say I wish things were the way they were before?"

"Depends. Would you still want to be heartbroken and distraught over losing your daughter to scary men in nice suits?"

Ian pursed his lips. "How is she?"

"Still out cold. I'm not sure how long it'll be until she wakes up demanding blood."

"It's funny that you think you can joke about it. How would you feel if you had a daughter you had to do that to? Dose their food with sleeping pills so they will stop trying to hurt themselves?"

"I haven't had the pleasure of having one yet."

"Then until you're inside the circle, quit toeing the line. You have no idea what it's like, having to protect Thalia from herself. All the times I had to keep her mother a secret so she wouldn't be taken away from me."

"A lot of good that did. They still got to her."

Ian's eyes darkened. "You have a lot of nerve playing that card."

"And you have a lot of nerve playing the 'you have no idea what it's like caring for someone other than yourself' card. Who cared for Thalia when you didn't? Didn't, couldn't, wouldn't, whatever. Who took care of my father after my mom left? I can guarantee without a doubt in my mind it sure as hell wasn't you."

"You want a fire? Fine. Thalia feels inadequate because you haven't been honest about your feelings towards her. She told me she doesn't know why you act reclusive about the subject. 'Why--"

Donnie tensed up. "Stop."

"--you would be so scared about the commitment behind three little words?'"

Donnie exhaled heavily, pressing his hands against his head. "I said stop."

"'Why won't you commit? What are you so afraid of?'"

" _I said stop!_ " He threw his hands down, icing a picture and causing it to break. Ian bent down, picking up and inspecting the photo. He looked grim, matching Ian's expression as he picked up the broken and frozen pieces of an old picture.

"Is it because you'll end up hurting her?"

Donnie looked up, his eyes wide with shock. Then he stormed off, slamming the door behind him. Tailing after him, he left the office, losing his trail. Going upstairs, he entered Thalia's room, bending down and brushing hair from her face. Her lips were parted slightly, closing when his fingers touched her cheek. "I'm sorry about Donnie. But I have to go fix something. I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback! The next chapter is called: When The Darkness Comes


	22. When The Darkness Comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am super sorry. I keep telling myself, "Monday, you update on Mondays" yet I couldn't. So hopefully this makes up for it.

"Hey, Thalia, wake up!"

Feeling like her limbs were weighed down with lead, she muttered "What's wrong" before drifting back off to sleep.

"I can't find Donnie."

Yawning heavily, she twisted around, seeing Edward standing over her. "Let me call him." Reaching for her phone, she blinked in surprise when it clattered to the floor. "Oops."

"You're hopped up on something weird. I won't ask." Edward picked up her phone, calling Donnie. "American Girl" began playing downstairs.

Crawling out of bed, Thalia leaned heavily onto Edward when he helped her stand. "Thanks."

Going downstairs, she found his phone. After a short period of reading off his phone, she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God."

"What is it?"

"He's gone."

~*~

Thalia paced nervously, holding his phone. "Where did he go? It's probably been hours since he left this, he could be anywhere!" She stopped pacing. "We need to go look for him."

"No we do not. Do you not see yourself? I just woke you up from a drug induced sleep and you are in no shape to go anywhere. Except back to bed."

"I need to find him," she said weakly, collapsing into a chair. She held his phone like a security object, staring at the dark screen.

"I'll call Mister Quinn, see if he can help." After a few minutes, he ended the call. "He didn't answer."

"I know he has something to do with it. I just do. But I'm not going to degrade myself by calling and swearing I'd never speak to him again if Donnie doesn't come back." She stood. "I'm going and tracking down that boy myself."

Stomping upstairs, she slipped into a pair of sneakers. Edward tucked his hands into his pockets. "At least let me help you."

~*~

"You're sure he would go this way? What is it with you two and remote hideaways?"

"I don't know. It's just a hunch."

"Your hunch is leading us into a very dangerous place. There could be snakes and other harming animals out here!"

"Quit acting like a child. We need to find Donnie." Thalia smirked. "Besides, he's the only person that can decipher the craziness that is the Blizzard machine schematics. You know he drew up the designs with his grandpa."

"Great! Let's go find him!"

"Sure. I'll give you his plot number."

Scowling, Edward trudged through the brush with her. Thalia looked up, frowning at the darkening sky. "Where are you?" She muttered under her breath. As the two continued through the brush, the sky grew black. "I know he's not this stupid. Hell be damned."

"Hell is damned, that's why it's called Hell."

"Shut up. I'm saying he's not going to stay out here forever. Eventually he'll come back."

"From that note, he implied that he would be gone for a while. Like 'days' a while."

"We're in California. There's nowhere he can go here and be gone for a few days. And with the rising Hydra threats, he isn't going to take that risk."

"Yet we will? We're going to run the risk of getting captured to find him?"

"You don't know the whole story," she replied. When they heard rustling in the bushes somewhere in front of them, both ceased movement. Squinting to make out shapes, neither of them could see. Stepping forward, she shined her light on a bush covered in ice. Noticing the trail went back the way they came, she crushed the soft light in her hand. "He's not out here. Let's head back."

"Somebody finally gets sense."

~G.A.M.E.~

Approaching the back porch, the lights came to life. "Motion detection," Thalia grimaced. "No doubt one of Donnie's ideas."

"Miss Quinn?" Crosse stepped off the porch. "Where the hell did you go? People are freaking out!"

"We went looking for Donnie! He left and we went looking for him!" Thalia pointed to Edward and herself. "You haven't seen him, have you?"

"You need to come inside," Zeke ordered. "The men think there's an acquisition team out in town."

"From Hydra?"

"Come on you two." Ushering them inside, Zeke sighed. "We think so."

"How do we know it's Hydra? Who told you it was?"

"I did."

Turning around, her eyes landed on a downcast Donnie. "You're okay!" She ran towards him, enveloping him in her arms. He hugged her tightly, rubbing his hands up and down her back as she ran her fingers through his hair. "How did you know it was an acquisition team?"

"I had a run-in with one of the agents back in Marrakesh, remember? One got away. The other one however..."

"What about tomorrow?"

"We are still going. They're here, but they believe I was killed. They won't be looking for me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back this up." Edward held out his hands. "Hydra wants you? For what, recruitment as a scientist?"

Thalia laughed sardonically. "That would be the  _best_  case scenario."

"And the worst case scenario?"

"Let's not worry about that."

When the crowd dispersed, Donnie turned towards the stairs. "Why did you leave like that?"

He paused. "You never did ask the easy questions, did you?" Turning around, he leaned on the banister. "We got into a fight."

"You and my dad?" She sighed. "What was it about this time?"

"It was stupid. I shouldn't have even said it in the first place."

"What was it about it this time?"

"I said that you'd wake up and be pissed that he laced the food. I'm not even sure how he took offense to it. Maybe because he knew it would happen."

"And?"

"And he said some things," Donnie said quietly.

She stepped forward, tilting his chin up. "About?"

"You."

"What did he say?"

"Did you ever talk to your dad about...us?"

"Once. It didn't end well. He seemed to like picking a bone on why you hadn't said 'I love you' to me yet." She scrunched her eyebrows. "Is that what he said?"

"More or less."

"You two!" She exclaimed. "How is it you two can't seem to get along on the  _one_  thing that makes you both happy? I get there's different views on different sides, but when one of you says something derogatory, the other just has to toss the lit match. You with your mouth and him with his. Both of you are geniuses and yet you don't stop to think of what could happen if you say the wrong combination of words. You two have times of the month that are worse than mine."

"You get those?"

"I'm infertile, not plugged up, genius." Disappearing upstairs, he heard his phone begin to buzz. Glancing at the screen, he let out a gust of breath.  _As you very well know._

"Thalia, of course I know, I just didn't know about that," he called out.

She peered over the banister. "Really? How would you not know? "

"That's not something I want a lecture about right now, Thalia."

"Why? Because you engineers find the idea of bodily fluids gross? Go ahead, tell me what's so bad about it?"

"You're tired."

"I know I am, now answer the question."

"No." Donnie kissed her forehead, making her relax. "Although the thought of it grosses me out, thus confirming the stereotype that I'm a person that gets squeamish around blood, it makes me feel upset that you suffer like that."

"Tell me, what kind? Blue, cheddar?"

"What?"

"Because that was total cheese," she teased, scrunching her nose. "Fine. I'm going to bed."

"Thalia, I..."

"I know you do," she replied, her voice soft. "The feeling's mutual."

~*~

With the tune of "R U Mine?" playing in his ears, he turned his head towards Thalia, who placed her feet in his lap. She looked out the window, letting her hair flutter in the wind. When he turned his head, she yanked out his earbuds, capturing his attention. "What?"

"Did you eat?"

"Uh yeah."

"Well I haven't."

"Don't try to coerce me into getting breakfast with you."

"Not even for Scooby Snacks?"

"Don't even try doing that. You're eighteen."

"So are you. An eighteen year old with an affinity for cold foods, like ice cream."

"And you have an affinity for standing out." He gestured to her white combat boots. "I'm pretty sure you painted these."

"I did not!" The car came to a stop. "Zeke, what's up?"

"We're here."

"Good." She slid out of the car, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her clothes. "And we're here."

"A hair salon? Now you're emasculating me."

"You want a job done, you do it right," she commented. "Do you think I'd be cutting my hair too short if I wanted it at my shoulders?"

"Maybe an inch or two past?" Donnie shrugged. "Thalia, I don't know. My major isn't hair."

"Neither is it mine. Now get out of the car."

"Fine." Exiting the large van, he looked down either side of the sidewalk. "Keep an eye out."

"I will, fraidy cat. But seriously, can we get something to eat? I'm starving." She placed her hands on her stomach, pressing her thumbs into her waist.

"Will you stop that? That makes your waist look smaller than it actually is. Anorexia isn't a good look on you, Thalia." He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I would much rather prefer this."

Stopping at a small restaurant, she bought an extra large muffin, peeling off the paper. "This'll do," she said, biting into the side. "So, where is Marrakesh at?"

"In Morocco."

"Where  _at_  in Morocco?"

"Somewhere. It's hot. Not as hot as it was in Brazil, though." As they turned a corner, Donnie pulled his hood over his head. "I see him."

Making a silent gesture, Zeke walked ahead, distracting the man long enough for then to get to the other side of the street. Standing in the open doors of the salon, Donnie removed his hood. "Let's get inside before either of us decides we want to press our luck for another run-in."

~*~

"Ian just up and left? He realizes Hydra is  _everywhere_. The man must have a damn good reason for up and leaving and have those kids pose as sitting ducks."

"Keep an eye out and keep me posted, Zeke. What are they doing now?"

"Getting their hair cut. Donnie is pouting because Thalia wanted to go the whole nine yards and he just wanted to get his hair trimmed."

"Deep down he knows he's enjoying it."

"This girl keeps giving him the huge heart eyes and Thalia looks pissed. Territorial to the max."

"Really? Oh you have to send me pictures!" Skye laughed. Zeke began laughing and Skye smiled. "Zeke, what's happening?"

"Nothing. Just something Thalia said to Donnie. We're leaving now."

"Bye." As soon as that call ended, another began. "Hello?"

"When you figured out Hydra was in town, who did you guys think they were after?"

"What the hell do you want, Ward?"

"Could it be one of their assets that they believe was neutralized?" His mocking yet sincerely inquisitive tone made her skin crawl.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm standing on a street corner watching two kids that look close to Donnie and Thalia get dragged into a warehouse by heavily armed police officers. You tell me."

"I was just on the phone with Zeke!"

"Yeah, I don't know where he is, but I wouldn't put it above them to put a bullet in his head." She could imagine him with a small smile, one that before made her warm inside but now just made her lip curl. "No need to be heroic. I have things under control."

~G.A.M.E.~

Skinning her hands and knees on the concrete, she rolled, attempting to land on her feet. Donnie wasn't as lucky, breaking the fall with his face. Cutting his forehead, she crawled over, placing her hand on his cheek. "Keep your hood up."

He nodded, and she stood. One of the Hydra men came up to her, tightening his fingers around his holstered gun. "Get back down on the floor."

"I want to talk to someone."

"Get back down on the floor."

"I want to talk to some-" The man pointed his gun at her, shaking the barrel towards the floor next to Donnie. "I'm not moving until I can talk to someone better qualified to deal with teenagers."

Tucking the gun back into its holster, he quickly grabbed her by the throat, lifting her into the air. "You are talking with someone who deals with teenagers. Gifted teenagers. Now shut your damn mouth before I do it for you." His gaze focused on the bracelet locked around her wrist. "What is this?"

"You said for me to shut my mouth," she choked out. "That's what I'm doing."

He tightened his fingers around her throat. "I asked you a question. Now answer it."

"Put her down!" Someone behind her ordered. When her feet met the floor, she gasped for air, her hand finding the tender purple marks on her neck. "He asked you a question. What is that bracelet for?"

"It compliments my outfit," she spat sarcastically. "So naturally I thought I'd wear it."

"Then take it off."

"Why? You'll steal it and pawn it. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Take. It. Off."

"Piss off."

"You've got nerve talking back to me, girl. Around here, I'm in charge."

"Really? Because it seems like whatever it is you want with my bracelet, you're not getting it until I take it off."

"I could say the same thing about your boyfriend." Looking to the floor, her heart leaped into her throat when she saw the space was empty. "Where did he go?" The leader pulled his gun out of his suit, pointing it at her.

"Holster your weapon, agent. We only want to talk."

Trying to find the source of his voice, she saw a silhouette next to a cluster of pipes that quickly vanished. A bullet ricocheted off the pipes, followed by one of the men jerking her back by her hair. Grabbing her arm, he began trying to pry off the bracelet with a pocketknife. Footsteps came towards them, making the suited agent pointed his gun towards the darkness. "Mister Gill, we only want to talk!"

The pipes froze over. "I'm sorry, I can't," he called out. Driving her elbow into the heavily armed man's face, he dropped his pocketknife, allowing her to use it as a weapon. "We're leaving."

"Take a deep breath, and clear your mind."

"No, don't!" Donnie jammed his fingers in his ears. "Thalia, get out of here!"

"Surrender and you will find meaning; surrender and you will find release. You know what's best."

Turning towards the door, both men wrapped their hands around her wrists, holding her. "Stop!"

"What's best is you comply. Compliance will be rewarded. Mister Gill, are you ready to comply?"

He looked up, his eyes vacant. Smiling briefly, he said, "I'm happy to comply."

The suited agent smirked, tucking his gun away. "Prove it, then. Take her out."

" _What?_ " Thalia felt the blood drain from her face when Donnie's gaze turned to her, missing the warmth he usually showed her. "I-I know him, he won't do it."

"Sweetheart, I don't think you know him at all." Thalia began whimpering as Donnie approached them, stopping when she began trying to pull away from the two Hydra agents.

"No, no, please, no, Donnie, please..." She blinked away tears, a pitiful whimper escaping her lips. The doors behind her burst open, and both men fell, pulling her down. Scrambling to her feet, she began racing to the open door, looking down and seeing ice suddenly form under her feet. Slipping, stars exploded behind her eyelids as her head collided with the ice, making it crack under the impact. The room began swirling into a messy watercolor painting, distorting everything into a dark blur.

Footsteps echoed around her head, coming to a stop. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot, causing a dull ache to form behind her left ear. Donnie's hand touched her cheek. "Oh God. No, no, no, no, Thalia, can you hear me? Agent Simmons, we got attacked, and they made me hurt her. She isn't waking up and her head's bleeding..." An unknown amount of time passed before he spoke again. "She doesn't looked iced over, she feels warm." He fell silent. "We'll be here." He carefully leaned her against his shoulder. "Thalia, please wake up," he said quickly, his voice growing thick. "I couldn't stop myself, I'm so sorry..."

A car came to a stop, and doors opened to rapid footsteps. "Donnie, let me see her," Jemma said. Tilting her head in the opposite direction, she felt a warm, gloved hand touch the tender spot behind her ear and pain erupted throughout her body.

"Jemma, that is a lot of blood," Skye's worried tone cut through the dark.

"Skye, would you stop? It isn't a lot. From first glance maybe, but the blood seeped into the cracks. Give me that, please." Suddenly, a foul smell filtered through her head, and light filled her vision. "There she is," Jemma said happily, her face slowly becoming clear in Thalia's vision. "Try not to move. I need to examine you."

When she sat up, she turned her head, seeing the bloody spiderweb crack in the ice. Pain flared at the base of her skull, making her fingers find the knot behind her ear. Jemma swatted her fingers away. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop myself, it was like I got shoved into a corner of my head and had to watch while I froze the floor; watching you slip and hit your head and then not being able to move when you didn't. I actually walked over and just looked at you, then started to see my hand come down, coming  _thisclose_  to wrapping around your neck..." He pulled her into his arms, his fingers trailing ice over the bump. "If it wasn't for Ward, you might be frozen solid right now."

"Ward?"

"Yeah, he saved you. Tried shooting me in the face, but I ducked and he hit a bunch of pipes."

Jemma stood, and Donnie helped Thalia to her feet. "That might hurt for a while, but no, no concussion. Why don't you and Donnie go home?"

"I need my bracelet off."

Her face went blank. "Absolutely not! The study isn't over yet."

"Donnie got brainwashed and was told to  _kill me_! If this comes off, I can erase the memory of it and the trigger in his mind that activates it. He won't be useful to them anymore." Thalia took her hands, shaking them. "Please."

Sighing, Jemma nodded. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Come on, we're heading to the base."

~G.A.M.E.~

Jemma stood behind the thick, two-way mirror as Thalia and Donnie set up the monitoring equipment on the other side, grateful for the wall separating them. Skye joined her at her side, watching the two work in sync. "Simmons, what's up?"

"Ever since Thalia's seizure, it makes me nervous being in the same small and confined space as her. Hyde's performance really painted a different picture for me."

"So Thalia's got her own portrait of the real Dorian Grey. Why is it bothering you? It didn't bother you when you saw mine, in the form of me in my sex head hair and undone buttons and (at the time) betrayal to you guys."

"But you ended up redeeming yourself. Thalia just keeps getting stranger and stranger. First she was Anna, a Gifted with the ability to withstand alien viruses; next she was Asgardian--"

"Half, Simmons."

" _Half_ Asgardian, then it was being related to Ian Quinn. And after that it was Donnie. I can't help but notice the growing pattern. Thalia seems to consort with all the  _bad_ things we've had to deal with since this team started."

"You know, I talked with Peter the other day," Skye crossed her arms, "and he said that Anna's boyfriend used to console her because her foster mom tried to kill her, and he would tell her 'Evil may have raised you, it may have brought you down, left its mark on you, but you haven't been touched by it'. Thalia is still a good kid. A bit odd and a bit of a genius and a smartass, but still an all-around good kid. She told me she feels weird though, because she hasn't really had like, crazy hormones and regular teenage stuff. Doesn't really feel the need to take things further than they are now."

"When did this become an inquiry as to why she doesn't experience the raging hormones that precede being aroused at every guy she meets?"

"When I tried subtly asking you to give me the name of the thing that she's feeling right now."

"I believe the right phrasing you're looking for is anaphrodisia, but then not even that is accurate. I think the term you would be looking for is demisexual."

"That doesn't mean she likes Demi Lovato, does it?"

"It means she doesn't 'feel' anything like that until she forms an emotional bond with the person in question. Take her current relationship with Donnie."

"Agent Simmons, all the equipment is set up!"

Opening the door, she peered in, nodding at the machinery. "Good. Now attach the monitors to your temples so we can read your brain activity." Turning to Skye, she said, "The two of us are going to study their brain activity while she changes his memories."

"Doesn't that bug you at least a little bit? She can go into someone else's head and change what they know, what they see and think and perceive. That, in the eyes of a normal person, would see that as tampering with someone's free will."

"Now we know why Hydra wants her so bad." Jemma frowned. "The question is did they get to her, too." Turning on a microphone, she said, "Now, Thalia, would you mind beginning the..?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Watching the computer screens come to life, Skye watched as they filled with dancing lines. "Anyways, you were saying?"

"Yes. Notice their body language? Thalia has a type of ease in his presence that she doesn't have with others. And there, when she touches his face with her fingertips; it is a rather intimate touch yet with a degree of distance. She is testing his reactions and micro expressions."

"Yeah, translate that into English for me."

"It means she is testing the deeper waters of the relationship."

"But aren't demisexuals a close second to asexuals? And those kinds of people don't exactly experience attraction in that way."

"Some do; the title has very flexible boundaries. And like I said, demisexuals  _can_  feel attraction to someone, just after they form an emotional bond with the person in question."

"It's interesting that my sexual orientation has become a topic of discussion, with it being none of your business and all."

"You're supposed to be in Donnie's mind, not ours."

"I can vaguely sense what you're all thinking."

Skye sarcastically replied, "Well then  _vaguely_  go and destroy the brainwashing trigger. A and B conversation."

"Roger that."

~*~

The first thing she saw in his mind was a dark room, illuminated by a rectangular hole in the wall. The hole turned out to be part of a door, thrown open with two men on the other side. "Get up."

Donnie rolled over in bed, his hair sticking up in random places. "Why?"

"The machine broke. We need you to fix it."

"It's three in the morning." Donnie glared at the clock in the wall. "Why are you guys using it right now?"

"The superiors live in different time zones and wish we do things on their schedules."

"Then they need more flexible engineers. I'm exhausted."

"Move it."

"I'm going, geez." Ruffling his hair, he climbed out of bed, following the armed guards down various hallways until he reached a white tiled room, stopping at the doorway when he saw the machine. "Who last used this, the Hulk?"

"A particularly difficult Gifted with the ability to change into any material he touches. He changed into the metal."

"I'm gonna need a soldering iron." He ran a hand through his hair. "This'll be a while."

The men soon returned with what he asked, followed by a girl in a face mask, which consisted of blacked out lenses and a face covering muzzle. Locking them inside the room, Donnie watched as the girl moved towards the machine, beginning to fit pieces back together. "Who are you?"

After no response, he came forward, taking two pieces and fitting them together. "They go this way. Can't you see?"

When she shook her head, he pulled the goggles off, setting them on a tray of strange tools. Dark rings of shadows surrounded each eye. "Why are you here?"

Lifting her gloved hands, the broken pieces of metal began floating off the floor, finding other pieces and fitting together. Floating through the air towards him, the machine pieces reattached themselves to their proper places. "So you're a Gifted?"

Moving past him, her long, black braid swung behind her as she pointed at his gloves. "Me?" He peeled a glove off. "Nothing special about me." She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. I'm nobody."

She shook her head, returning to the work. The door unlocked and a guard entered the room, livid with the girl. "Damn it," he growled, swiping the goggles off the tray. "Did you take these off?"

"She couldn't see, and it was messing with the repairs."

"She has to wear those!" The guard snapped. "She's some new kind of Gifted, so her treatment is major sense deprivation."

"That seems unnecessarily cruel, doesn't it?"

"Coming from a Gifted on the same regimen? I know why you wear those gloves." Fastening the goggles around her eyes, he said, "Now get back to work."

When they left, a short time later, the containment alarms began blaring. Bakshi entered the room with two guards, locking the door behind him. "Well, I'm sorry Donnie, but it seems your usefulness has come to an end."

"Mister Bakshi, I can do much more than repairs. Ms. Hyde said I could be useful in other areas."

"She has notified me and made me very much aware of your many skills. But as I am the leader of Project Blizzard, the final decision falls to me."

"Mister Bakshi, please."

"Well, you know what they say," he smirked, adjusting his jacket. "Hail Hydra."

"No, Mister Bakshi, please!" he began trying to pull away from the armed guards. "I'll do what you ask! Please don't!" 

"This is heavily boring, Mister Gill," Sunil replied, tugging on the ends of his jacket. With the flick of his wrist, he felt a large jolt of electricity course through him. Falling to his knees, he hit his forehead on the table, knocking himself out. 

Coming to, he felt a gloved hand touch his face, and he began to flail in his restraints. The dark haired girl from earlier stood in front of him, drifting from side to side. "I can help you." When he kept trying to shake his hands from the restraints, she held his head still, staring him in the eye. "Listen to me! I can help you. Do you want me to help you?"

"Yes I want you to help me!" He pressed his hands to the shackles. "Please, you have to let me out of here!"

"I can't." Looking down at her, he then realized she wore dark fatigues, the scarlet Hydra branded into the shoulders. "I can't do that. And you can't get out even if I could help you."

"Why?" Looking up at his hands, he saw needles poking out of his hands, an orange substance in the tubes. "What are those for?"

"It seems your interesting new abilities has made some pretty drastic changes to you."

"How?"

"With the amount of Extremis they're pumping into you, you should be dead right now. That's canceling out whatever you can do. And if you get out, you get dosed with a lethal hit of it. I heard that this was done specially for you. I can't get you out."

"Then you aren't helping me."

"I never said that. Look at me." Taking his face in her hands, he wondered in curiosity why she felt so warm. "Listen to me very carefully. What I do is something nobody's seen before. So I'm going to use it to save you." Tilting her head to the side, her voice started to come out monotone. "They will not be able to control you. Not fully; not like the others.  The brainwashing will not adhere to you like it does everyone else; when they try to brainwash you, it will be like placing nail polish on glue; it will stick, but only I know how to pull it all off. Do you hear me?"

Nodding, she continued. "We will see each other again, but you will not recognize me. You'll only know it's me because of this," she took her hand and placed it in his. "Because I'm a lot warmer than everyone else. Do you understand me?"

Feeling his thoughts begin to blur together, he slurred, "Warm."

"Yes, warm. I'll see you soon." Pulling her hand from his, she then kissed him, a jolt of electricity stinging his lips. "You need to make it believable," she said softly, pulling her hair up and under a hat. Feeling his consciousness beginning to fade, he went limp in the restraints, his vision going dark once again as the black haired girl said to someone, "He's ready, sir."

~*~

She stayed still for a few brief moments.  _She saved Donnie from Hydra by brainwashing him_. 

How ironic.

Suddenly she felt very weak and lethargic. She needed her iron. Donnie groaned softly, his hand slowly coming up and settling on top of hers, which stirred faintly. Her eyes opened, and she yawned, sagging against her chair. "Donnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you get my iron pills please?"

Standing up, he left the room, reappearing with a pill bottle and a thermos in his hands. Handing it off, he watched her take her pill, sitting back in his chair with a dazed look on his face.

Knocking, Skye looked in, asking, "Hey, you guys okay?"

"It feels like I got teeth pulled."

"It hurts?"

"No, it feels like something's missing." Donnie rubbed his temple. "Up here."

"Come on, let's get you guys home."

~G.A.M.E.~

Stepping through the front door, Ian tucked his hands into his pockets, half expecting to smell something cooking. Instead he heard soft piano, and upon further investigation, he found Thalia sliding a dish into the oven, music blaring from a pair of earbuds. "Hey Tally."

Oblivious to him, she cleaned the counters. Sighing with exasperation, he shook her shoulder. She looked up. "You're back!"

"I know I've been gone-"

"Gone?" She laughed. "You left, leaving me to deal with your mess with Donnie, then the next day we got jumped by Hydra and he was brainwashed into trying to kill me, which I also had to clean up. You and I are gonna have a talk."

"I was trying to get your attention. We have a visitor. So clean up for dinner." As she passed by him, he took her arm, whispering, "We will have a talk on the events that happened in my absence."

"Just try not to be an ass and say things you'll regret."

Treading to her room, she slipped into a dress, passing through the shared bathroom into Donnie's darkened room. "Donnie, get up."

"I'm up. Couldn't sleep." He stared at the ceiling, his head turning towards her. "So how was it in my head?"

A sudden wave of melancholy passed over her. "I'm sorry they did that to you."

"It happens."

Sitting next to him, she took his hand. "No, it doesn't. It's cruel and inhumane."

"Nowadays, it does." He shrugged. She let her hand rest on his for a few brief moments, then stood. "We need to get dressed. My dad has guests over and we are having dinner with them," she turned on the light. "So get up. I'll help you pick a shirt."

Picking a shirt from his closet, she felt his fingers run through her hair, pulling it behind her and braiding it. "We are supposed to look civilized."

"Braids aren't very civilized, now are they?"

He gently nipped her earlobe, making her laugh. "Greek women wore their hair in braids. And they were stunning."

"And Scottish men wore kilts, but I don't see you giving in to that tradition."

"And Irish women also have a feminine brogue, but you sound like a cross between British and Australian."

"Nag, nag, nag," she spun around, pulling his shirt off. "I don't have to conform to my cultural stereotypes, I'm a Greek-Irish American. Do you know how weird I'd look?"

"You realize the Greek thing is actually a sham."

"It gives me a sense of normalcy. Because how odd would it sound if I said I was Norse-Irish American?" She smiled crookedly as she did up the buttons on his shirt. "Just food for thought. Speaking of which, are you going to wear a tie?"

"For what?"

"Dinner!" Under her breath she muttered, "Why is it I'm the one with the memory problem but I still remember everyone else's problems?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before. Shoes, Donnie." Exiting the room, she went downstairs, meeting her father and his guest. "I'm here."

"And this is the lovely Thalia?" The man took her hand, kissing her knuckles. "I'm Drew." When he looked up at her, his forehead creased as his gaze focused on her necklace. "This is such an interesting necklace. Where did you get it?"

"You have to ask?"

Looking behind her, Drew straightened, a sympathetic look on his face. "I thought it would be rude if I didn't credit the creator."

Turning around, she took Donnie's hands. "Let's not poke the bear, gentlemen."

"Especially with screwdrivers."

Thalia gasped. "Donnie!"

Drew slumped slightly, then straightened. "It's not your fault, Thalia. It's mine."

Ian broke the tension, saying, "After Donnie's conversation with me, I thought it would be beneficial that we have a face to face."

"So you brought him  _here_?"

"You aren't going to hide in your shell with Thalia every time you feel threatened, Donnie." Ian narrowed his eyes at him, who looked anxious while squeezing Thalia's hand. "You need to man up and face your demons. And you can't do that hiding behind my daughter."

"I could say the same for you."

Thalia pursed her lips. "I cooked for this special occasion (rather unknowing in the fact that there would be guests), so how about you two set the table and Donnie and I will get the food ready?"

Leading him into the kitchen, Thalia suddenly pushed him up against the wall. "Do you want to explain to me exactly what the hell is going on?"

"Do you know who that is out there?"

"After that out there, I'm pretty sure I could connect the dots." She cocked her head to the side. "Donnie, you need to try and patch that relationship with your dad."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Who will you have when I'm gone?" He looked at her angrily, and she replied, "Exactly. You need to have friends. Or family. You're going to talk to your dad after dinner."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, I will be very displeased."

"Why does that sound incredibly sugarcoated?"

"Because I doubt your dad knows I have the mouth of a sailor," she smirked. "So if you don't, I'll kick your ass."

"There's the Thalia I know."

~*~

"I'm not going back with you. There's nothing left for me there in Delaware. That is except a lonely career working for a man who is still sitting behind bars."

"Donnie, you misunderstand. Much like how S.H.I.E.L.D. had a council, Hammer Industries has a group of shareholders who are working to push the company in a new direction." Drew waved his hands in the air. "Who knows? You might even meet a girl."

Donnie sighed. "I already have Thalia."

"Thalia is a goddess." Upon Donnie's deadly glare, he clarified, saying, "She is beautiful, intelligent, powerful and wealthy; unattainable to everyone. To outsiders, she is this girl that came out the survivor of a hit and run, with no idea who she was. And now..." Drew held his hands like scales. "She's got you."

"Complimenting me will not get me to agree with you. I'm not Mom." Breaking the awkward silence, he said, "My choice is final. I'm not going. I'm eighteen, I can make my own choices."

"You weren't eighteen when you made some of those choices. Getting a PhD at seventeen?"

Donnie sighed bitterly. "It was certainly better than failing out of high school, wasn't it?"

"That's what you did! After you got it, you kept going to school, not doing your homework. You just went numb." Drew stood. "And you think staying here, with Hydra constantly threatening you is gonna break that cycle of numb?"

"That's not why I'm choosing to stay."

"A teenage carbon copy is not a legitimate reason to stay anywhere, Donnie!"

"Grandma Olivia tells a different story."

"That woman is eighty-eight with dementia!"

"Then why are you so scared of what she has to say? Because it'll make you look like a hypocrite?"

The door opened, and Thalia stepped in, her dress swishing against the carpet. "Excuse me. Can I borrow Donnie for a minute?" She looked at him. "Zeke's radio is acting up again."

Drew turned towards her. "We are in the middle of a conversation, Thalia."

"Well Zeke is on the night run and-"

"I said no!" His sharp words made her jump, stumble backwards, and hit the door. Standing, he spat, "You think just because you spoil him, you can treat him like a dog."

Digging her fingernails under the bracelet, Thalia ripped off the monitor, flinging it across the room. As her wrist began to bleed, the room began to grow considerably colder. "I haven't spoiled a single inch of skin on him. I have given him something you've starved him of for ten years. So while you scold him for wanting to get away from you, I show him love and affection for the smallest of things. Because what do you do to people you care about? You love them! So to answer your question, he does that because I love him!"

The room fell silent. "I love him. And if you're going to despise me because I show him more love than you ever have, then I guess I'll be damned to an eternity of you hating me."

Holding her wrist, she left the room. Donnie stood, a steely glare aimed at Drew. Following her out of the room, he caught up to her, pressing his hand on top of hers. "There's a first aid box in the kitchen."

"My body's trying to expel the needles," she replied through gritted teeth. "Is there one upstairs?"

Nodding, he led her upstairs into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. When the bolt turned, she let go of her wrist, letting small needles dig themselves out of her arm. She gathered the small pieces of metal in her hand, throwing them in the trash. Sitting her down on the toilet, he began swabbing her arm with an alcohol prep, listening to her hiss in pain. "Did you really mean that?"

She paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes, I did." She smiled, making him look down to her wrist as pressed a cotton pad down on the bleeding holes placed sporadically on her wrist. "So I don't feel inclined to deny it later." As he taped the cotton pad, she said, "You do realize that it's probably already healed," watching as bright blue curls of frost spread outside the bandage. He sighed, peeling the makeshift bandage off and kissing the inside of her wrist. "Just thought I'd let you know in case you forgot." Standing, she cleaned up the mess, tucking the box under the sink.

With a regal twirl of her dress, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, rising to her toes and kissing his forehead. "Goodnight."

~*~

Waking the next morning, Donnie sat up in bed, feeling something shift next to him. Next came a quiet sigh, followed by the gentle flickering of the lamp. "Thalia, what are you doing in here?"

"Bad dream."

"So we revert back to old habits?"

"I was going to tell you something, but I forgot what it was. Figured I'd stay in here until I found out."

He laid back down, his fingers tracing the soft curve of her waist. Sliding his fingertips under the hem of her sweatshirt, her muscles tensed, sending out a warning sign. "Oh!" She sat up. "I remember!"

"What is it?"

"Before my bracelet was put on, I was working on a project down in the lab. Don't move it, don't touch it, and the most important, don't break it. I was testing out the delivery mechanism and it kept going haywire so I turned it off. Don't go anywhere near it. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Donnie, I'm being serious. Do you hear  _me_?"

"Yes, Thalia, I hear  _you_." He took a small piece of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "I gotta go. Edward's already pissed that he's been having to pull extra weight because I've been topside for these past two days."

"Alright, be careful." She pecked him on the forehead, sprawling back out on the bed. "I love you."

~*~

Making his way down to the lab, Edward stood at the doors, angrily munching on an apple. "Good morning."

"Good morning? That's all you have to say to me? Where in the ever loving hell have you been?"

"Dealing with... things."

"Ooh, daddy issues? It's daddy issues, isn't it?"

"To some extent," he grumbled in reply. "Mister Quinn invited him to stay here for a few days. And he isn't a fan of my current situation."

"Why would your dad be upset that you live in the personal mansion of a billionaire and get to play with top notch tech all day long?"

"He doesn't like Thalia."

Edward pursed his lips. "That I can't explain away."

"And when he accused her of treating me like a dog, she got so mad she yelled at him and professed her love to me."

"You're kidding."

"Notice the lack of sarcasm in my voice."

"I noticed it  _then_. But she seriously say to your dad's face that she loved you? That girl is tough. Well that makes sense now. I got called upstairs because the thermostat in the library went on the fritz last night after your little sit down."

"Thalia said she had a project going on down here before she got sent upstairs. Do you know anything about that?"

"Uh yeah, it had a broken transfer pipe in the aerosolization system. I took it apart."

"Why?"

"It was broken! And I needed the extra parts!"

"She said it was dangerous! Thalia was going to fix it when she got back in the lab. Did it do anything weird?"

"No," Edward shook his head. "Listen, I put it back together. You can go and check it yourself. Back of the lab, near the emergency station."

Approaching cautiously, he inspected the repaired project, examining the control panel. Suddenly it hissed, spraying a white mist in his face. "Whoa!" Edward ran towards him, shoving him into the shower. When it began dousing him in water, he said, "Get Thalia down here!"

Nodding, Edward grabbed his phone, dialing her number, but as the last digit was entered, the elevator doors opened. Thalia's head of dark hair flashed into his vision, and soon her frowning face could be seen through the water covered glass. "What did I tell you?"

"I was careful! It was your machine that attacked me!" Turning off the water, he opened the door, her face set in worry instead of disappointment. "Edward said he fixed it and I went to check it when it sprayed some weird white mist in my face."

Thalia turned to look at him. "Edward, would you run and grab some dry clothes for him, please?"

"Since she asked nicely," he replied, shooting a side glare at Donnie. When he disappeared into the elevator, Thalia placed her hands on her hips, staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Donnie?" Thalia pursed her lips. "Are you being rude to Edward?"

"Only in the way an isolated engineer could."

"Don't be sarcastic with me,  _Donald_ ," she scolded him, taking the front of his shirt in her hand. "I am your girlfriend, you _boxtroll_."

"What's a boxtroll?"

"You share common traits. Hides in a protective box, scared of people," she ran a fingertip along a button. "They'll shed their boxes for the right people."

"Do they?"

"You're missing the point. A shy boy loses his fear to protect the ones he loves." She smiled at him. "Sound familiar?"

"Maybe." He raised an eyebrow. "Sounds a little bit more like you."

"Okay, if we could just keep it PG, kids!" Edward banged on a table, setting his clothes down. "Here you go, Miss Quinn."

"Thank you." Picking up the pants, she threw them at the soaked teenager. "Now get dressed."

"Here?"

"Oh come on, quit being a pansy. We're all dudes here."

"Except the girlfriend."

Edward pointed to Thalia. "Yeah, except her."

Switching the door to opaque, he switched out of his wet clothes, watching the blurry shapes move. Reappearing on the other side in new clothes, the sight of two scientists arguing over a hologram made him feel reminiscent for a fraction of a second before the elevator door opened, showing his very confused father. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to apologize."

~*~

Stepping into the library, Ian looked at the shelves full of books, the ancient spines resonating the history of their contents. Seeing a shiny black bracelet on the floor, he picked it up, the inside speckled with broken needles and blood. "She's strong."

"Indeed she is," he heard her familiar voice reply, and turning around, he saw Amora's waist length blonde hair. "It reminds me of Lorelei. She inherited her fiery temper." Picking up a book, Amora said, "She reminds me much of your Greek goddesses, gleeful one moment and spiteful the next."

"That definitely sounds like Lorelei."

"She is young," Amora placed the book back on the shelf. "She will learn with time."

He paused, setting the bracelet on a side table. "Donnie, will he..?"

"We've discussed this. Vehemently. I am not a fortuneteller, Ian." She swirled her hands around, forming a ball of energy between them. "I do know, however, that he loves her very much. He is shy with his words, let alone his feelings. Not many have made him feel welcome or cared. Trust me when I say this Ian, but he isn't the type to play with someone's feelings when people have played with his own." She smiled vaguely. "He will 'come clean' as you Midgardians say it. Soon."

"How soon?"

"Now I may not be a fortuneteller, but I have mild clairvoyance, and I assure you, very soon. Within the next few hours, a day at maximum. Don't interfere. It's already happening." Amora opened a portal, showing her home. "I must leave. Take care of her for me."

~G.A.M.E.~

Opening the door, he was greeted by the sounds of fists meeting leather, making him cringe at the sound that was normally followed by a sharp  _crunch_. "Get away from me."

"Thalia..."

"Donnie, I said  _get away from me_. I am not in the mood to deal with you or your emotionally abusive and psychotic father."

He inhaled sharply, knowing that she was pissed. "Not holding back any punches, are you?"

She stilled the punching bag between her hands, her knuckles split and bruised. "Why should I? It's not like you've spared no expense in my case."

"I was angry."

"So am I, but nobody wants to see  _me_  angry. Otherwise I'm labeled a psychotic bitch, like your dad did when I encountered him last night. Do you know how hurtful it is when you treat someone with so much kindness and courtesy and all you get is nothing? You get nothing but a sneer." She clenched her jaw, turning back to the bag and hitting it. "But I wouldn't expect you to know how that feels."

"What's  _that_  supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," she replied. "It means that my dad likes you because you keep me company, you're here when he's not, you build his toys because he asks. I taught you it was okay to stand up to your bullies and have a voice and what do you do? You sided with him!" She hit the seam, splitting her knuckles open and causing blood to spatter on the bag. "Of all the people you could have listened to, you listened to him, the psychopathic, emotionally abusive father you worked so hard to get away from!"

"Thalia, stop! You're making your hands bleed!"

"Why do you care?!" She looked at him, her dark eyes filled with searing hatred and tears that she furiously wiped away, smearing blood on her cheeks. "Why do you care so damn much about me, when you hung me out to dry yesterday in front of your dad? Huh? Is it because of me, it's just 'oh he isn't going to like her so I'm just going to leave her wondering what she did wrong'? Is that what it is? Because if so, feel free to walk out the door."

A sudden silence formed between them, and he shut the door behind him. "That isn't the case at all."

She turned away from him, resuming her activity where she began kicking the bag instead of punching it. "The case, Thalia, is that he's mentally unstable, he thinks all he has left is me."

She sniffled. "I don't care."

"You do and I know it. He has it in his head that you are a threat to him because I give you more attention than I give him. He hadn't even known you for a whole of five minutes before he realized it." She continued to ignore him. "So if I tried coming to your defense, I knew what would happen. And what would happen would be him losing control and taking his anger out on the first thing he saw. That could be anything. It could've been you, it could've been any of the machinery, it could've been Edward, there's no telling what could've happened. He could have even taken it out on me. But knowing him, he would've gone for the primary."

"I can hold myself in a fight."

"That's not the point."

"Then I reiterate: What is?"

"He's got Histrionic Personality Disorder, Thalia." The statement caused her to turn around. "Meaning he craves attention all the time and when he doesn't get it, he'll resort to attention seeking routines and in extreme cases, violence. He will do anything to get the attention he thinks he so rightfully deserves. So if I were to stand by you and defend you, there would've be a 70/30 chance of him attacking you."

"How do you know?"

"My Grandma Olivia, after I left for the Academy, had him taken to a psychiatric institution where he was diagnosed with it."

"So why isn't he still in the nuthouse?"

"He convinced everyone he was fine." He sighed. "And now he's here."

"There's still one part you're missing. I screwed up every ounce of courage I had and told your father to his face that I loved you. That I really, truly do. Why can't you do the same for me?"

"He knows I do. I'm scared that if I said it out loud, he'd finally snap. Or maybe something bad would happen to you, too."

"Why would something bad happen to me?"

"The last person I said it to  _died_. And I don't want another death on my conscience." He sighed. "So please try to understand that I want to be absolutely sure before..."

"Then go make absolutely sure," she replied, sounding bitter and defeated. "I've got a mess to clean up."

"Let me help."

"I'm fine." She twisted the faucet on the sink, holding her battered and bruised fingers under the stream of water. In the basin, the water ran red; her knuckles became a violent purple red, fading rapidly back to normal. The split skin knitted back together, lining her fingers with an intricate blue frost. "See?"

"That's still nasty."

"Well then don't look."

Grabbing a small towel, she wet it down, beginning to scrub the punching bag of the blood. "Thalia, you can clean it up later."

"I'm doing it now so I can go shower."

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, for the love of God," he sighed, pulling the towel from her hands. She spun on her heel, eyes flashing. "I'm trying to tell you I love you, but you won't listen because you're being so damn stubborn!"

Her face went blank. Time seemed to pass for ages, with no words spoken between either of them, before she opened her mouth. Even then, she quickly closed it, unable to form a solid sentence. The gravity of the situation finally sunk in, and he felt his heart jump into his throat, her shocked face being burned into his mind.

"You swear?"

"Really? That's all you can say? I just said 'I love you' and all you got from that is I swore?" He took her face in his hands. "Is it that shocking to you that my mouth can be just as salty as yours?"

"Donnie, I'm serious. I need a shower. I've got blood and sweat all over me-"

"I remember getting a lecture about when you love someone, you love them for their flaws."

"Flaws like snoring! Flaws like sometimes being an asshole for the sake of my well being! Flaws like accidentally freezing tabletops when you sneeze!" She pulled a few sweat soaked strands from her face and slicked them back on her head. "This isn't a flaw. This is me being covered in sweat."

"And this is me not caring." Pulling her in, he pressed his lips against hers, his arm winding around her waist. Thalia suddenly gripped his shoulders as he accidentally picked her up. Sighing in relief, she slanted her mouth against his, whimpering at the wave of cold that spread across her back from his hand. "I don't think this is a flaw."

"Well apparently it is. I'm not supposed to be this small." She sighed when her feet met the ground. "According to my dad, I'm supposed to be taller."

"How tall was your mom?"

"Near five ten."

"Well then you're above average."

"They were both tall, so I'm supposed to be tall. It isn't adding it together and dividing it by two, Donnie. It's genetics."

"Maybe it's a recessive gene on your human side. Because your aunt was a  _giant_."

"All Asgardians are somewhat tall, Donnie. Even the short ones are taller than an average human." She exited into the hallway, pulling her hair from its ponytail. "Now I'm going to shower."

"You know, I-" Thalia quickened her pace when someone began ascending the stairs. Donnie soon came face to face with his dad, who held a gift basket in his hands. "What do you want?"

"My behavior towards Thalia was... less than amicable the day before yesterday and last night." Drew straightened. "And you know I don't do well with face to face interactions."

"You mean you don't like having to apologize to her yourself because either A) you are genuinely scared of what she will do to you or B) you don't want to man up and do it yourself so you're hoping I'll make it easier for you. I may be your son, but I'm gonna be the adult here and tell you to  _man up and do it_. Thalia is a very regal and sensitive person and doesn't take well to being called something she isn't."

"Her dad said she liked chocolates, so I thought it would be like a kind of peace offering."

"Just put them in my room," Donnie pointed to his open door. Shaking his head, he continued down the hallway, shutting the bathroom door behind him.

Thalia sat down at her vanity, peeling her pants off her legs. "What did  _he_  want?"

"He wants to apologize."

"Does he now? He doesn't seem the type." She stood, eyeing him as she peeled her sweaty clothes away. He pulled off his shirt, adding it to the pile on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"I'm dirty too," he offered in mock defense. "Been working in the lab all day, got grease and oil all over me."

Her face changed from all angles to a soft smile. "Well then come on. Warm water won't last forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love feedback!


	23. Out of Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SOOOO sorry for not updating. The personal reason keeps coming up and the recent development of my family coming in from out of state (which didn't inspire the name of the title) in October, so if I don't update any time between the 12th and the 19th of October, that'll be why.

"Donnie," Thalia said his name softly, tracing his arm with her fingers. "Donnie..."

He groaned softly, breathing deeply before he slid his hand along the sheet, lacing his fingers with hers. "What is it?"

"What time is it?"

"You're awake, so a little past seven thirty," he replied, draping his arm over her waist and kissing her back. "There. The time."

"You're lazy," she scolded him playfully, twisting around to see him. "And your hair's a mess," she added despairingly, trying to smooth down his hair. Chuckling, he tried smoothing down her hair, claiming it was just as roughed up as his was. "Say what you want, but yours is worse. Mine is long enough to be brushed out. Not to mention the number of rather...odd bruises you have." She pressed her lips against the base of his throat. "Because unlike you, I'm not an easy bruiser."

"You're a hard kisser," he pouted, and when she reached his mouth, she kissed him softly. Wrapping his arms around her, he returned the kiss, remaining gentle as his hands traveled up her ribs. She pulled back, tilting her head slightly. "You know I love you."

Closing his eyes, he brushed his lips across her hand. "You know I love you, too," he replied, basking in the new sensation that bathed over him at the uttering of those words. She laid her head down on his chest, eyeing the basket next to his door.

"What is that?"

Donnie sighed. "Yeah, he brought that as a kind of peace offering. Chocolates. Is it bad that I already cracked into it?" She looked at the small piles of chocolate wrappers on his nightstand, laughing. "You have expensive tastes." She sat up, running her fingers through her hair. Donnie sat behind her, ghosting his fingers up and down her spine as she thought. "What's wrong?"

"Your father is a very confusing man," she said in reply. Pulling her hair behind her, she laid back down, staring at the ceiling. Turning her head, she smiled. "I can see how you're like him."

Pressing another kiss against his shoulder, he winced. "Sorry. That one's real," he laughed.

Pulling back slightly, she said incredulously, "What? You're bluffing."

"Nope. I slipped in the shower and hit my shoulder on the water knob."

"What? I'm sorry!" She propped herself up on an elbow. "I didn't know."

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt that much." He suddenly grabbed at the edge of her cocoon of sheets, pulling it up. "Making sure you're covered up."

"I'm fine," she blushed. "It's not I like I get cold easy."

"Was that a jab at me?" He let his mouth fall open slightly, and she pressed her fingertips against his jaw, shutting his lips. "I'm just teasing."

She rolled to her side. "Well duh."

"I'm thinking of just calling downstairs and calling a personal day."

Shaking her head, she advised, "Don't. I'm already out of lab activities, last thing we need is both head scientists out."

A sharp voice cut into their conversation. "I'd have to agree with her."

Donnie cringed at the voice. "Good morning, Mister Quinn."

"Donnie," Ian raised his right eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can I have a discussion with you? In private?"

When the man turned away and left the room, Donnie slid out of bed, silently putting on pajama pants. Thalia took his hand, a sympathetic look on her face. "Good luck," she mouthed, sliding out of bed and into the bathroom. Joining Ian, he was met with silence as the older man stared at him with his scrutinizing gaze. The way he stared reminded Donnie of how Thalia studied things: eyes slightly narrowed and mildly spaced out as thoughts sped rapidly through her head. And then he was reminded again of how that stare drove him absolutely crazy.

"Please just yell at me already!" Donnie exclaimed abruptly, startling Ian. "I know that you think it's such a heinous crime that I slept with your daughter so please, so just yell at me already and get it over with."

"Well, that was amusing," Ian's lips twitched into a there-and-gone smile. "But I already knew about it."

Donnie paused. "What?"

"I've been her father for eighteen years, and for nearly three of them she slept on the opposite side of the mansion, as far away from the lab as possible. I have hearing attuned to her cry and can hear her anywhere. So you aren't exactly the first one to be astonished at how expressive she can be, when she wants to be." Ian furrowed his brow, squinting at Donnie in what looked to be his signature  _you-honestly-thought-you-could-get-your-stupid-past-me_  look. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out? That I, the person that knows about everything going on in this house, wouldn't figure out you two were..." Ian waved his hand, glancing down the hall where Thalia was exiting the bathroom, toweling her hair. "Point is, I knew. End of story."

Donnie's mind went blank. "You aren't mad?"

Ian sighed a sigh of deep resignation, pinching his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Oh no, I still am, just not as much as I would've been by finding out that way instead of hearing it from her aunt." He straightened his shoulders. "Amora Incantare is probably the only reason why you are still alive, or rather, with all your body parts about you."

Donnie clasped his hands near the waistband of his pants. "That's... assuring."

"Just be assured if your actions result in harm to my daughter's body, the bilgesnipe will be lucky if it gets your scraps."

"Dad, be nice," Thalia scolded him. "Aunt Amora has already made one potential threat on his life."

"Then I'll just get in line." When Ian walked off, Donnie sighed heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. "Thalia, you have guests!"

Looking over the railing, Skye and Jemma looked up, with Skye waving and Jemma crossing her arms over her chest. "Looks like I'm not the only one in trouble," Donnie commented slyly. Shooting a stare at him, Thalia waved back over the railing.

"Thalia, the way the study works is that bracelet has to stay on," Jemma pointed out, holding the broken bracelet. "Not taking it off when you please." When the dark haired girl descended the stairs, Jemma took her wrist, inspecting the frost covered skin. "Did this happen when you took it off?"

"When I  _ripped_  it off, yes. Broke every single needle off in my arm."

"You just tore it off?" Jemma turned to Skye. "I thought it was skin tight."

"Well were you also factoring she could Hulk out and just rip it off?"

"Neither a sudden onset of adrenaline or anger could do that!" Jemma gestured to the bracelet. Turning back to Thalia, she said, "I've changed my mind. I'm terminating your study early. But I will need you to come back with us so I may run a few experiments on you."

Thalia sighed. "Lab rat, when has that ever not been fun?"

~G.A.M.E.~

"Will you hold still? It hurts more when you keep wriggling like a small child."

"Say what you want, but just because I heal, it does not, and I repeat does not, hurt any less. As a matter of fact, it hurts more!"

Jemma lifted the needle. "Why?"

"I can actually feel it, the needle." Thalia placed her hand over the injection site. "In my arms, in my hands, practically anywhere."

"Skye, grab me the case on my work space." The brunette reappeared with a small case, handing it to the scientist. Opening the case, Jemma began powering on the device inside. "This should help."

"What is it?" Thalia tried peering over the lid. "Will it make the needle not hurt when it goes in?"

"You'll barely feel it," Jemma assured her with a smile, quickly touching the prongs of the device to the inside of Thalia's arm.

"Ow!" She yelped in pain, quickly fainting. Skye caught her, and Jemma caught her arm, pushing the needle into her arm. As the vial began to fill with blood, Skye looked at the device in Jemma's hand. "What is that?"

"A Darkforce taser. Remember Marcus Daniels?"

"Sort of?"

"He was a Gifted with the abnormal ability to absorb all types of energy. When we captured him the first time, teams of scientists took samples of his blood to study the effects of the Darkforce on a cellular level. It was fascinating; his cells managed to not draw upon his own bio-electricity, but drew upon it of others."

"Anyways?"

"Yes, I made his blood into an electric Darkforce taser. Instead of being tased with electricity, she was momentarily rendered unconscious-"

"You knocked out an electrical Gifted with something that absorbs what she runs on?" Skye looked at the taser in horror. "Why would you even make it?"

"In the event that she would turn on us, of course. Why else?"

"'Why else'? Why are you being so callous about that? Did you ever stop to think it could hurt her?"

"Did you ever stop to think if the bullet would hurt Donnie when you shot him with it?" Skye's mouth fell open as she stared at Jemma in shock. "Oh, please, don't come to me with that story when you've read one just like it. Innocent brainwashed teenager convinced Hydra was the only way, and instead of stopping to think how the story could end differently, you took him out. If we couldn't have him, nobody would? A means to an end, I think you called it?"

"He's here now," Skye's voice wavered, her lip beginning to tremble. "He's with us."

"Doesn't mean the story isn't valid." Pulling the vial from Thalia's arm, she labeled it as she said, "It just means that for a moment in time, we were no better than Hydra. It means that if people have to suffer so we can remain the 'good guys' and 'protectors of humanity', then we'll do it. We'll just tell ourselves that so we can sleep at night." Flipping a switch on the device, Jemma shocked Thalia with it. She groaned, waking up and rubbing her arms.

"So did you get the blood you need?" Thalia asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes," Jemma smiled brightly. Skye continued watching in shock, noting the total one eighty in her demeanor. Taping a cotton ball to the bleeding crook of Thalia's arm, she said, "You can go and eat if you haven't already. Something with iron to replenish the loss."

Nodding, Thalia stood, rubbing her head as she left the lab. Taking the vial to her work space, Jemma plugged it into a strange machine, pressing a few buttons on the machine and picking up a tablet. "It should send me the results of the blood test when it's finished. In the meantime, would you like to watch Doctor Who with me?"

"Not right now," Skye replied feebly. "I have some things to do."

"I'll come find you later, then?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied, making her way to their kitchen/lounge area. Along with a few other agents, Thalia was eating some form of breakfast while watching the news. "Hey, clear out."

An agent looked up. "Why?"

"I need to talk to her."

The agent glared at Thalia, who sat down on the couch, watching the news. "She may be Quinn's kid, but she doesn't get any special treatment."

"Haul ass, Kavanaugh," Skye spat. "Confidential conversation." As the agents cleared out, Skye slid in next to Thalia, who with glazed eyes watched a reporter speaking about the foreign policy. "Hey. Are you feeling okay?"

She yawned. "I'm tired."

Jemma knocked, entering the room. "That was fast," Skye muttered. "Hey. Is that test done yet?"

"Thalia, I really must ask. Have you become active?"

She looked over the rim of her coffee mug. "I've always been active."

Jemma straightened her back, holding the tablet tighter. "Intimately active."

"I don't think I've had enough coffee for this." Thalia laid down on the couch, groaning while covering her eyes with her arm. "Yes, I am sexually active."

"Since..?"

"Near the eleventh of August. Why?"

"Low, constant levels of oxytocin in your blood. I'd have to associate that with constantly being around Donnie, but you have a rather low level of vasopressin in your sample as well. Could it be from..?"

"We've only had sex twice, once on the eleventh and once last night. And I reiterate: Why am I being interviewed on how I often I've had sex when it's completely irrelevant as to how I ripped off a monitoring bracelet?" Thalia smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Or could it be perhaps you are  _intrigued_  as to how I manage to have sex with a Gifted that freezes things he touches?"

"I'd rather not," Jemma replied, her cheeks flaming. Skye snickered under her breath. When she left, the hacker turned to Thalia, who had a broad smile on her face.

"That is a good question though. How do you two..?"

"Like normal people?" She raised her eyebrow again. "You know, a dark and quiet place, if you're not an idiot then some form of protection..."

Skye covered her ears. "TMI!"

"I'm being serious. That's literally all there is to it."

"What about the whole Gifted thing?"

"Heat and cold cancel each other out. I assumed you knew this."

"Oh God, I didn't need that image!" Skye began rubbing her temples fiercely, kicking Thalia's shin. "That's not cool at all."

When her phone began buzzing, she pulled it from her pocket, pressing it to her ear. "What is it?"

A low voice droned on the other end, and Thalia sighed, a faint smile forming on her face. "No, Agent Simmons is still running the test. I don't know when I'll be able to leave. Well, let me ask Skye. She's right here." Turning to Skye, she asked, "Can I go?"

"I doubt Jemma will tell you how you managed to take the bracelet off, so yeah, you're in the wind."

"She said yes," Thalia told Donnie, standing and putting her coffee mug in the sink. "Okay, I'm on my way. I love you, too. See you in a bit."

When the phone call ended, Skye raised an eyebrow. "Did I hear that right? Did you just say 'you loved him'?"

"Yes. Why would you have trouble hearing that? Do you need hearing aids?"

"Hey! Be nice." She feigned hurt. "Now come on, let's get you home."

~*~

Pacing the wide expanse of the front porch, Donnie glanced at the driveway every so often, waiting for the familiar black van. "If you don't stop moving, I will shoot you myself," Zeke told him.

Donnie laughed wryly. "No you won't."

"Really? Try me."

The sound of rubber meeting concrete made their heads turn towards the driveway, where a black van slowed to a stop. Opening the door, Thalia jumped out, shutting the door behind her. Ascending the stairs, she barely was up the steps when Donnie pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapped around her in a tight grip. "Oh God, how are you this strong?" Thalia squeaked. "Donnie!"

"What?"

"I can't breathe!" She slid her hands between them, pressing her hands to his chest to try and wedge them apart. "Are you on something?"

"No. Thalia, how did you think I'm able to carry you?"

"I thought you had devised some weird algorithm allowing you to cheat gravity."

He laughed. "And you can say that with a  _straight_ face?"

"You built a machine that created a super blizzard. I'm allowed my own dose of crazy inventions."

"Come on. We have to get back to work."

"'We'? I got blood drawn, I have to wait until the iron kicks in."

"They took blood?" He pulled her forward, lifting up the edge of her sleeve. A cotton ball was taped down in the crook of her arm. "What's this from?"

"Miss Simmons gave me something that made the needle not hurt when it went in." Her feet carried her someplace. "She only took a little blood but for some odd reason, I'm really lethargic."

"Then maybe you should go to sleep."

"But we slept all night!" She whined softly. A fresh surge of energy began making its way into her veins and she sighed softly. "Ooh, I feel better." Looking down, she stood in the elevator. "By the way, Simmons knows."

"About?" He looked at her, who yawned. "Really? It's none of her business."

Thalia pulled him forward, planting a soft kiss on his chin. "You grew an inch?" 

"How can you tell?"

"I can't bite your bottom lip anymore."

"Poor you," he pouted his bottom lip, and she huffed, tossing her hair behind her shoulders. "Hey, Edward fixed your machine."

She picked up the small machine. "Hmm, so it works."

"What was it supposed to do?"

"For aerosolization of vaccinations. It would make it easier for third world countries to get vaccinations they need without the hassle for children being scared of needles."

"Something useful."

Thalia smiled. "Yep. I test ran it with a sodium pentathol derivative. Otherwise known as an incredibly potent truth serum. And from the looks of it, it worked."

"Your machine malfunction was me being dosed with Q-16?"

The tape gun floated to Thalia's hand, where she began taping the box together. "Both of us were dosed, thank you."

"So if it weren't for that-"

"We'd both still be gliding over unsaid things, probably to the end of time." Thalia shrugged, pressing a shipping sticker to the side of the box. "So in a way, our loose lips have saved us."

"Thalia," Donnie sneaked up behind her, "did you purposefully create a lab hazard?"

"Of course not," she answered him. "Edward was in on it, too."

"You're kidding me," he gaped, to which Thalia replied, "Afraid not." She picked up her machine, placing it delicately inside a shipping box. "You both set this up?"

Picking up the tape gun again, she taped the box as she said, "Well, I more or less vocalized my concerns to Edward, and he told me he may or may not have put Q-16 in the dispensing chamber."

"You scheming little minx," he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her off her feet. As she squealed, he laughed, tickling her sides. "I can't believe you drugged me."

"I drugged the  _both of us_ , thank you!" Throwing her over his shoulder, Donnie began walking towards a different part of the lab. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's called 'payback' and it's best served freezing cold!" He threw her into the emergency shower, cranking the handle. She gasped at the temperature of the water, pounding on the door.

"Edward! Somebody!" She whined, pressing herself against the wall to avoid the spray. As his phone began ringing at his work space, he released the handle of the door long enough for her to drag him inside. Taking a step back in the small space, he cupped her face in his hands, his eyes darkening.

"How is it I still get this way around you?"

"I've been told I'm very charismatic."

"Is that so?" Tilting her chin up, he placed a tender kiss on her lips. "I think you need to try and get dry."

"Trying to get me out of my clothes? And here I thought  _I_ was the one with indecent sense of humor."

Opening the door, she exited the shower only to be greeted by Edward. "I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not what the emergency shower is used for."

She paused, her eyes wide. Then her cheeks flamed, to which Edward laughed. "Hey, no judging here. Science princess likes getting her weird on. I'm cool with it. Just don't decide you two want to spend extra time down here, because trust me, I've walked in on things I can never un-see."

"Not here, I hope." Thalia grabbed her hair, wringing the water from the ends. "Thanks to him, I need to change."

"Can I come with you?" Donnie asked. "I need to change, too."

She cast a backward glance at Donnie in the shower. "You can stay in there. Clearly you need to think about your problems." The handle turned to on, dousing him in freezing cold water.

"Hilarious, Thalia." He glared at her retreating back. "You should've gone into comedy."

"I  _could_ ," she placed emphasis on the last word. "But I'd rather do this." Hitting the button to go up on the elevator, she spun around, saying, "Edward, thank you for fixing the machine. I owe you one."

When the doors opened, she climbed in, startling herself slightly at the other person in the elevator. "Jesus!"

"Sorry to startle you," he replied coolly. "I was just previewing the property." He wrinkled his nose at her waterlogged appearance. "What happened to you?"

"Miscommunication in the lab. Edward thought there was a spill on my work space so he threw me in the shower." She offered her hand. "I'm Thalia."

"You're not what I expected," the man replied, not taking her hand. "I thought you would be different."

Lowering her hand, she cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry?"

"I thought you would be like most girls with rich parents. Out on the beach, or shopping, something like that." He gave her a once-over. "Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised."

She curled her lip. "Well then I'd hate to unpleasantly surprise you."

Riding the elevator the rest of the way in silence, she nearly bounded from the elevator when it opened. "Miss Quinn, I sure hope my behavior hasn't formed any negative impressions with you."

"Because insulting not only my intelligence but my personality isn't going to form any negative impressions," Thalia shot sarcastically, and the man lifted his eyebrow. "Saying you expected me to be some shallow, vapid, spoiled brat will. Might I suggest that you mind your tongue and manners?" She plastered a sugary smile to her face. "That is if you want to be welcome in my home again."

"Excuse me," Ian's voice drifted past her, "but what are you doing? And sweetheart, why are you soaking wet?"

"I was just escorting our guest out of the lab. And like I told him, Edward thought there was an accident. A miscommunication."

"Well, he's not supposed to be down there," Ian eyed the man warily. "So now I'm curious."

"Your private lab is quite the spectacle." The man raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Something that your lawyer should probably know about. Along with the fact that you decided not to tell me about her."

Rolling her eyes, she dragged her sodden self to her bedroom, changing into a tank top and skirt. Descending the stairs with light feet, she began hearing pieces of the conversation.

"Mister Quinn, you cannot change the agreement as you please. You know how he gets when people change details."

"Wesley, enough. You're going to end up scaring the poor girl."

The strangely soft voice made her turn her head. A somewhat portly and bald man stood at the foot of the stairs. "And you forget, she also has a say in this negotiation." He turned towards, her, offering his hand. She took it cautiously, descending the stairs. "Miss Quinn, pardon my sudden appearance," the man directed his sentence towards her. "I am--"

"Wilson Fisk. He is a colleague of mine." Ian introduced them. "Through extension."

"He doesn't look like the type to be in chemical engineering."

"I am in construction, Miss Quinn," Wilson kissed her knuckles. "When your father told me of your disappearance, I helped with the search in any way I could."

"The only issue we have with the transaction is the payment we requested." Wesley shot (with his usual impassive poker face) a somewhat irritated look at Ian. "He believes he shouldn't pay because our efforts didn't bear fruit."

She turned to Wilson. "Did your efforts produce my whereabouts, Mister Fisk?"

"I do not believe they did, Miss Quinn."

"They why does he need to pay for a service that ultimately did not bring him the desired outcome?"

Wesley scoffed. "Are you honestly going to listen to her?"

"Should it come to a battle of wits I will place my bets on the smarter man." Wilson turned to Thalia. "Miss Quinn, your IQ?"

Without blinking she replied, "216."

"And yours, Wesley?"

"175, Mister Fisk."

"Then I believe the lady is right. While our efforts were appreciated, they did not bring her home." Wilson nodded. "I believe our business here is concluded."

When they left, Ian hugged her. "Thalia, you didn't have to do that."

"If I made out my IQ to be any lower, I would have made  _myself_ feel humbled."

"Don't ever humble yourself for any man, sweetheart." He whispered. "Do above and beyond. If they can't keep up, then they aren't worth your time."

"Thank you for the advice. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get back downstairs." When he placed an affectionate kiss on her cheek, she stepped back. "Dad, when did Wilson Fisk become involved in matters of me?"

"Would you like the short answer or the long answer?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I'd like the truth, if you do not mind."

Ian nodded. "Of course. Why don't we go somewhere private?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Donnie, your phone went off!" Edward yelled, catching his attention.

"What's it say?"

"'Went out, don't wait up for me'!" Edward yelled again. "Her dad is taking her out."

Shutting off the obnoxious machine cutting out the funnel, he approached the table. "Good. He needs to spend time with her."

"I agree." Edward nodded his head. "One of the richest guys in the world and it takes a teenage boy for him to realize that he's not spending enough time with her. After all, she's been back for near five months and he's spent three of them away on business. Boyfriends and bodyguards aren't always going to keep her company."

"I'm wondering if the spontaneous outing has anything to do with this morning," Donnie mused.

"I heard about that, by the way," Edward chimed in suddenly. "But I'm actually more curious about how long it's been going on and you two didn't say a word."

"Maybe it's because it's kinda personal?" Donnie shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, you know how I am with people."

"Of all excuses--"

"Sorry. I should have told you," he bit down on his lower lip. "Lesson learned."

"Damn right you should have told me. I would have liked to know that at some point or another, that when you two say you want to go over designs together, I would've gotten the memo."

"We did actually go over designs together, Edward." Donnie smiled. "Thalia doesn't mix work and play. Kind of like keeping chocolate separate from peanut butter."

Edward's face fell into an annoyed scowl. "I'm allergic to peanuts."

"We'll put it in these terms: Thalia doesn't like sharing chocolate unless it's in a private setting."

"That really sounded like a double entendre."

"I'm also being literal."

"Oh well then in that case just say she likes eating chocolate in her room because nobody can judge her when she does."

"That also sounds like a double entendre."

"Shut up," Edward bumped his shoulder against Donnie's. "So, since we have the day, we could go play on the Xbox?"

"I'm not a video games type person."

"You're not an anything type person. And that is going to change. Today."  
~*~  
"Okay, if I'm getting this right, Wilson Fisk was a pawn for some of Hydra's dealings," Thalia said slowly, shivering at the ocean water splashing across her feet. "And so were you."

"More or less."

"So when I go missing, he feels pity for you knowing what Hydra is capable of and puts resources into finding me." Thalia stopped walking, slowly sinking into the wet sand. Ian nodded, and she began the climb up the beach, flicking her wrists. The water froze to her feet, then evaporated into the air. "I know there's more to it, but something tells me that it's 'far too complicated for me to possibly understand because I don't know what it's like having children taken from me'. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

Ian sighed. "I did some research on the family tree. I found something interesting. Turns out your grandma Vivian had brown eyes."

Thalia allowed Ian to catch up. She had her eyes closed, her eyebrows knit together. "Grandma Vivian. Why does that name sound familiar?"

"She died when you were younger." He fell silent. "After you disappeared."

She snorted bitterly. "I get it, life goes on, regardless of how helplessly lost I am. I can handle a gun and build a weather machine, but I can't remember what I got for my sixteenth birthday. All I seem to be able to do is drown in the past."

"Thalia, you're being dramatic."

"Really? I got drowned on the thirty-first of July by Daniel Hearthrow and learned that I poisoned him when I was eight!"

Ian frowned. "You did  _what_?"

"Yeah, I put an allergy inducer in his food and he went into anaphylactic shock at school and almost died! Which was news to me!" She looked down, the disgust in herself clear. "Can I go home now?"

"Tally, you were a kid."

She sighed. "Not so much of one anymore."

"Remember what your mom said? You'd still be stronger than everyone else. What of you had done anything physical that seriously hurt him?"

"Anaphylaxis isn't seriously harming? Now we know why  _I'm_  the one with better doctoral experience."

When she opened the car door, Ian sighed. "Thalia, will you slow down? You've barely talked to me."

"I put someone's life in danger! How do I talk to you about that?"

"Things I've done resulted in people dying over the past eleven years. I'm no saint, sweetheart. As a matter of fact, of the company you keep, you are the only one who hasn't killed anyone out of anger or self defense." Her ramrod straight posture softened. "So stop beating yourself up." Taking her hands, he added, "Donnie told me what happened. Wrap your hands next time you want to hit something."  
~*~  
"Man, you are killing me," Edward grumbled, tossing down his controller. "That must be some killer hand-eye coordination you have."

"It's nothing really," Donnie shut the game off. "I didn't like the game, though. Too violent and graphic for my tastes."

"You have no tastes!"

"My taste in partners, however, is pretty spectacular," Donnie remarked. A few seconds later, Thalia passed by. "How was your outing?" He raised an eyebrow when she continued walking, a piece of paper in her hands as she strode towards the elevator. "Thalia?"

"Not right now," she replied, stepping into the elevator. Looking at Edward, he mouthed "Go after her", and he joined her on the elevator. Going down in silence, she strode purposefully into the lab, focused on her paper.

"Thalia, is something wrong?"

"No," she shook her head. "Just really focused."

"How did your thing go?"

"Not as well as I expected." She looked up, a yawn making her shiver. "But not as bad as I feared." She took a seat next to Donnie. "So did you have a pleasant afternoon?"

"I played Halo, I think that's what it was, with Edward. Didn't like it. A bit triggering." He shifted on his feet, making a small bolt freeze in his hands. Taking a seat, he sneaked a peek at her paper. "What are you working on?"

"Not sure. I found this in some stuff of mine. But I can't seem to figure out what it is. Some kind of formula." Pushing the scrap away, she stood. "I'm in the mood for pizza. Are you?"

"Not really." He followed her into the elevator. When it closed, she suddenly blurted, "I know where my eyes came from."

"What?"

"You were right, my grandma had brown eyes. But she was also tall."

"Then I guess it's just a Thalia thing."

Suddenly she stepped forward, kissing him. "Thank you for existing," she laughed. "I am so thankful that my shortness is something you find endearing."

"Just means I can hold you a lot." He pulled her in. "You're quite light, you know."

"I also know hormones are ridiculous. I'm already messed up inside as it is, I don't need these screwing with my thoughts."

"What are you thinking?"

"No, no, don't do that. You're going to try coerce me into telling you when in reality, my thoughts already sound bad in my head. I'm not going to try and see what they sound like out in the open."

"Oh, so  _those_  kinds of thoughts?" He accented the question with a raised eyebrow.

"You have a perverse mind, you know that?" She crossed her arms. "Very strange and dark in there."

He smiled broadly. "Well, I  _am_ a teenage boy."

"You didn't!" She gasped incredulously. "I should rinse out your mouth with soap. Just because you are eighteen years old doesn't mean you have to conform to a society of eighteen year old boys who say stupid stuff like that."

He laughed. "Wow, way to go feminist."

"Of course I'm a feminist. When a glorified accountant looks at me like I'm beneath him simply because I'm an eighteen year old girl while discrediting my intelligence, the only ladylike thing I could do was not call out his butt for insulting me."

"Calm down, killer," he teased, hugging her while kissing the top of her head. "If I know you, you probably already dismantled his ego for him."

"I did," she replied proudly, smiling. Tilting her chin upwards, he kissed her right as the doors opened. Edward made a noise of disgust, saying, "If this keeps happening, I'm gonna invest in a spray bottle."

"Then don't intrude on our private moments," Donnie said against her lips, smiling.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know an elevator was a perfect place to share a private macking moment. Especially when there are about, oh, I don't know, ten other people that use it!"

"Then don't be one of those ten people."

Edward sighed exasperatedly, sulking away. Pulling back, Donnie laughed. "Well, I'm in the mood for pizza. Are you?"

"I will shoot you myself."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Your dad doesn't seem in any hurry to leave," Thalia said softly, brushing her hair out of her face. "He said he would leave in two days, and two days it's been."

"He is dragging his feet," Donnie replied. "Waiting for me."

"Did you decide you want to go back with him?"

"Just to get the rest of my schematics. Then I'll be back." He sighed. "Catch up with things back in Newark."

"What's it like?"

"Rainy." He nodded his head. "A lot of the time it was rainy."

"Well, stay dry. Wouldn't want to freak out any Newark natives with your magic touch." She giggled. "There's probably only one person in the continental United States that really loves it." Her elegant features frowned slightly. "When do you leave?"

"In a few hours," he replied softly. "But I'm choosing you over hearing to my father gush over how happy he is that I'm going back with him. Even if it is only for a week."

"Donald," Drew said softly. "A storm's coming in, so the flight's been rescheduled."

"When is it leaving?"

"In an hour. They want to stay ahead so flights don't get cancelled."

Thalia looked up, her mouth set in a hopeful smile. "You might want to get your things."

"I..." He looked at Drew from the corner of his eye, then her. "I'll miss you."

She smiled sadly. "I'll miss you, too."

"I love you," he said softly, yet loud enough for Drew. The older man looked up in surprise. "I love you, Thalia. I'll miss you." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I have to go."

She nodded. Nodding to Drew, she flitted away to the lab. Donnie took the handle on his suitcase, gripping it therapeutically as he wheeled it out to the car. "This is new."

He looked at Drew. "What?"

"My son, a newly minted engineer at Quinn Worldwide, going back to his roots." Drew beamed, causing Donnie to frown in confusion. "You didn't know? Ian's going to announce it today." He raised an eyebrow. "He told me it was because you showed exceptional potential and he wanted it in his company. As you can tell, I see another side to the story."

Donnie gritted his teeth, clenching the suitcase handle and causing a thin layer of frost to form on it. "And what would  _that_ be?"

"A little thing in the form of a five foot four, hundred and twenty-eight pound girl named Thalia. She obviously adores you." Donnie scoffed in disgust, continuing to listen. "I mean, it's a miracle."

"What, the fact that I found somebody that makes me happy?" Donnie pinned him with a piercing stare. "A miracle in the form of a girl my age?"

"A miracle in the form of a friend." Drew curled his lip, and Donnie immediately knew things were about to get ugly. "I thought you stopped being so severe with people."

"Only with people that disrespect someone I care about," Donnie shot back sarcastically, ice building behind his fingertips. "Something I don't expect you to know about."

"I am your father,  _Donald_. You will speak to me with respect."

"You haven't been my father since I was eight, so don't you  _dare_  say that." Turning around, he picked up his suitcase, placing it in the trunk. Immediately he caught Drew's hand, tightening his grip and watching the skin pale with ice. "Respect flew out the window the second that thought even crossed your mind."

"What are you?" Drew asked, trying to pull his hand from Donnie's grip.

"I'm your son, remember?" He asked mockingly, and the pale white skin slowly beginning to turn blue.

"Donnie!"

Seeming startled, he released Drew's hand. Holding his wrist, Drew watched as Thalia bounded down the front steps, holding his phone charger. "You forgot this." Taking the charger, he bent down to kiss her. Standing again, she took Drew's mildly frostbitten hand. "Keep him safe for me," she smiled, swirling her fingers around his wrist and waving her fingers in his face. For a brief second, his eyes glazed over, then returned to normal.

"Yes, Miss Quinn," Drew nodded. Rubbing his hand in confusion, he climbed in the car. Donnie turned to Thalia. He mouthed "Thank you", to which she motioned to her phone, obviously meaning  _we will talk about this later_. Nodding, he climbed into the car. When it sped off, she spun on her heel, heading into the house. Meandering around the house, she settled in the living room, putting on a movie and dozing off. Her phone began buzzing in her hands sometime later, and she woke up, sliding her finger across the screen and pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Is this... 310-0111?"

"This is she," she said cautiously. "Who is this?"

"You're probably not gonna know me," the boy on the other end said, chuckling softly.

"Well, not if you don't introduce yourself," she replied nonchalantly. "Three seconds to tell me."

"My name's Sam," the boy said quickly. Thalia felt time slow to a stop. "Coulson used to mentor me."

"Phil Coulson?"

"The one and the same. Dead and all."

"Why are you calling me?"

"I figured now was as good a time as any to talk. Coulson said you fell pretty hard, so he said not to call until you were put back together again. Pete put your article in the paper about BioMedics. When I saw, I thought it was finally time to call."

"I don't think calling me will do justice."

"You don't?"

"No. Because then we'd be talking for hours, and I don't have the time to talk to a guy living on the eastern seaboard. New York, I presume? Since you're friends with Peter, and I last saw him in New York--"

"You saw Peter? No wonder he looked so shaken up."

Forcing her courage forward, she asked, "What happened on the night I died?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. "I didn't think you remembered that. Many of us try not to."

"There are others besides you and Peter?"

"Well yeah, there's Ava, Luke, and Danny. That night we actually begged S.H.I.E.L.D. if there was any way to erase that from our heads. Ava had a mental breakdown when she couldn't get your blood out of her suit." Sam sighed. "You seem awfully eager to jump into this headfirst."

"If I don't, I'll choke," Thalia replied softly, feeling a lump start to form in her throat.

"Hey, slow down. It's okay." Sam sounded sympathetic. "I can come over, if that's what you need. I knew you before your accident, so I know you prefer face to face conversations."

"I suppose you know about my current situation and that there are fifty men at the ready to shoot you if you put a foot on the property."

"I do; so if I tell them Coulson sent me, they'll let me in."

"I'm not sure about that." She began ascending the stairs. "I'm pretty sure that they'd shoot."

"Ye of little faith!" Sam exclaimed. "I'm on my way."

"Oh, go ahead." Hanging up the phone, she began changing into pajamas, pulling on one of Donnie's hoodies. As she twisted her hair into a hair band, she heard a knock at her window. Opening the curtains, she yelped. "Holy mother of God!"

"Keep it down!" The figure outside hissed. "You don't want me to get shot at, do you?"

" _Sam_?" Thalia looked terrified. "You can  _fly_?"

Sam crossed his arms. "You remember dying, but not the fact I can fly."

"Well get down from there! You're gonna get shot at!"

"Which is what we're trying to prevent when I said  _keep your voice down_!" Suddenly they heard several guns cocking followed by the collective "Freeze!" outside the room. "Well, that didn't work out very well."

Running down the stairs, she burst out the back doors, slipping between guards until she reached the front. "Stand down!"

"He is an unknown Gifted on the property, Miss Quinn."

Sam's eyebrows shot up as a mini blizzard whipped around her, watching her transform. "I said _stand down_!" she snarled, causing many men to back away. "I'm a hell of a lot more dangerous than he is, so would you pointing guns at me?"

"No, ma'am."

"So then put your guns away," she ordered. Turning around, she switched back to normal, placing her hands on her hips. "Now would you mind coming down here?"

Floating down to the ground, he was met with Ian's voice behind Thalia. "Who are you?"

"Nova, the human rocket," Sam replied sarcastically.

"What are you doing so far away from New York, Nova? Agent Coulson and I would very much like to know."

"Damn it. Coulson knows I'm here? He's gonna look at me and be like--"

"You're gonna be so deep in horse manure you'll need a damn snorkel," Coulson finished the sentence. "Nova."

Sam's gaze fell to his feet. "Sir."

"Why are you here?"

"I came here to see her."

Coulson looked at Thalia, the curiosity etched in his features. "Thalia?"

"Agent Coulson," Thalia replied drolly. "Seems there some things neither of us have told the other and they are affecting our ability to communicate quite significantly."

"I agree," Coulson looked at Sam, who all but cringed at the stare. "Let's head back to base, talk it out."

~*~

"Sit," Coulson gestured to the chairs around the table. Sam and Thalia took seats opposite each other. "Helmet off."

Flicking her wrist, Sam's helmet floated off his head, hovering above the table. She made odd motions with her fingers, making the helmet spin around on an invisible axis. "So you can't actually fly," Thalia said, tilting her head to the side. "This lets you."

"Yeah." Turning to Coulson, he asked, "Why is she interrogating me?"

"It's her you came all the way out here for," Coulson answered knowingly. "And she doesn't even know you."

Thalia blew on the helmet, covering it in a coat of frost. "And since when has she been able to do that?" Sam asked, noting her look of curiosity as the ice melted off. "You're not gonna turn that into a block of ice anytime soon. It's impervious to destruction by any earthly means." Sam scoffed. "Am I gonna get an answer anytime soon?"

"It's hard to believe she actually dated you, because the motive behind that is still unknown to me," Coulson snorted. Thalia made a pointing gesture to herself and Sam, which made Coulson nod. "Back in April, she was an unknowing test subject in a Gifted blood transfusion."

"Outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Sam looked at her, then him. "How did that happen?"

"The person that found her had a Gifted person in their company. Your age." Coulson sat down. "He had the ability to freeze things he touched, and the ability was passed on in his blood to her. As you can see, it met her gifts and mutated."

"The whole transforming into an ice queen, no offense to you," Sam said quickly, and Thalia shook her head, "was a  _mutation_  of two people's powers?" He sat back in his chair. "Pete's feet stick to walls, yet  _this_  is freaking me out. Ridiculous."

The trio sat in silence for a brief period of time. "Is he still around?" Sam asked. "You know, the guy that gave her blood?"

"Donnie left for Delaware with his dad a few hours ago," Thalia exhaled, drawing her knees into her chest. "He said he would be there for up to a week."

A spark of recognition flashed across Sam's face, but it was pushed down as he turned to face Thalia. "Well, it was nice talking to you, but I believe Coulson is gonna send me back."

"Sam," Coulson called him over, and when he came over, he put his hands on the teen's shoulders. "You guys have heard of him before?"

"Yeah. Anna was so fascinated that there was someone else like her, a bona fide genius, that she blabbed to her counselor. Almost grew into an obsession. She would constantly go on about how his projects were on such an advanced plane. Even replicated one of the projects: something about active camouflage. That's how Pete got his stealth suit."

Reentering the room, Coulson clasped his hands together. "Unfortunately, Sam does have to go. We're a bit spread thin with agents, and I don't have the manpower to have him babysat, so when I get more agents in, I will call him back in."

"Coulson, I'm old enough to watch myself."

"What about the mayhem you cause?" Coulson smiled. "I keep an agent on Thalia, and she doesn't even leave her home."

"Because I behave myself," she interjected teasingly. "I'm not a hot-blooded spaz."

Sam snorted. "No, just a cold-hearted--"

"Weren't you just calling her an ice queen? The guy she got her powers from can freeze a person solid. I'd rethink what I'd say before saying it." Coulson laughed quietly. "Off you go."

"I'll escort him out," Thalia said softly, standing. Leading Sam down the hallway, she stopped at the heavy doors. "Well, I guess this is parting." She sighed. "For now anyways."

"I'll see you later." Sam held his wrist out towards the scanner. When the door opened, he put his helmet on his head, jetting out of the base. Turning back to Zeke, he smiled. "You tired, kid?"

"Yeah, it's almost ten. I'm exhausted."

"Come on, Miss Quinn. Let's get home." Leading her to the open doors, she saw Zeke nod to Coulson. Coulson nodded back, and they continued to the car. "You took your iron today, didn't you?"

"No," she shook her head. "Saw that little exchange between you and Agent Coulson. I didn't know you worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., Zeke."

"I protect what's important, have been for a while."

"And what's important to you, Zeke?"

"Peace." Sliding into the driver's seat, he gripped the wheel. "So, since you didn't take your iron yet, how about some seafood to curb it until we get home?"  
~G.A.M.E.~

"Sam, I need you to understand, we can't establish contact right now." Coulson pressed his fingers to his forehead. "She is still too fragile for that."

"You're gonna tell  _me_  that  _I'm_  jumping headfirst into this? She wanted answers, but you guys dangled them in front of her face like a carrot!"

"I forget what it was like mentoring you guys." Coulson sighed. "She has a specific skill set that is widely envied by millions of people. She majored in making bombs and biological weapons  _for fun_. And while she is one hell of a fighter, her expertise is learning how to take the guy down  _before_  fighting is needed."

"Don't go gearsimple on me, Coulson."

"I'm not. Speaking of, did you see what she created? A machine that can aerosolize vaccines and distribute them across a vast open space. That is revolutionary. Hundreds of people, in theory, could be vaccinated all at once without the worry of needles. She said to Donnie she made it that way with children in mind. See that? She put other's needs before her own because their needs are greater than her own."

"Coulson, she is an Asgardian that is immune to every disease on Earth, not to mention a regenerative capability and super dense bone structure, so she can walk away from near anything. She is Prometheus granting mortals fire."

"Still, she didn't have to."

"Ugh, you aren't listening to me. She is greater than us in every way imaginable. Stronger, faster, smarter, prettier. She'll even have a longer lifespan than us."

"Now you are being dramatic. Do you know what the drawbacks to those are? She may live longer, but she still grew up here. She'll eventually watch everyone she loves die. She has seizures if there's a fluctuation in the sheer amount of power she possesses. Do you get seizures when someone messes with your powers? And before you answer that, Samuel, I'll have you know she can contain up to a terawatt of energy at once."

Sam sighed grimly. "No sir. But it's just unfair. She deserves to know, just as much as her dad."

"Thalia is good and innocent. I don't want to corrupt her."

"I'm gonna have to. Whether she comes out of it or not is completely up to her."

Ending the call, Coulson leaned on his desk. "Coulson," Skye knocked on his door, "I just got a group of agents calling in."

He looked up. "From where?"

"Sokovia." Skye read off the computer. "They were doing a science and technology roundup from a Hydra base and finished up. They say they'll be here in... three days."

"Good. Get Sam back on the line, relay the info to him. He'll be pleased to hear it."

"Sam?" She gasped. "Wait,  _Sam_  Sam? 084 Sam?"

"Yep," Coulson nodded. "It's time you met the supernova."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	24. We Happy Few

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the story, one of the things I found adorable about this is since Khione (I'm basing parts of Thalia's personality off of Khione's abilities) has the ability to speak French, I wanted French to be an integral part of her relationship with Donnie (which in all honesty if a guy learned a new language for me I would find that so damn attractive). 
> 
> And for the parts NOT in English, please do not use Google Translate. I used a verified translator from my phone for the non-English parts and when I put them into Google, it screws everything up. So if you do, know that while it's somewhat correct, that's probably not what it actually meant.

"Zeke, I feel weird intruding. This is an international meeting here."

"We do it all the time," Zeke waved it off. "Just make it short and quick. Nearly grilled Chris' head off when he interrupted for almost half an hour during a meeting."

"Okay, walk in, walk out," Thalia breathed, opening the door and walking in. At once, ten different people turned their heads to look at her. Ian looked up, his face brightening. "Uh, hi."

"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Thalia. Thalia, these are some of my shareholders." One by one, they stood, greeting her and shaking her hand. As each person passed, her face grew redder until Ian chuckled. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

"I was wondering if I could go out today, get some air."

"If Zeke is going, yes." Ian sat down, and she spun on her heel when he interrupted. "Due to them being in town, my shareholders would like you to join us for drinks."

"Dad," she laughed nervously, "you know I'm intolerant."

"It's a small gathering of scientists," a man with accented English, she suspected the original language to be German, told her. "Many like you, Miss Quinn. Except you will obviously be the smartest person in the room."

She blushed lightly. "Bitte, gibt es keine Notwendigkeit. Wir sind alle gleich hier."

Ian sat back in his chair, appalled. Suddenly her face paled, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Ha!" The German man laughed. "She is very cultured, Ian." He turned his chair to her. "Ein sehr kultivierten jungen Frau, die sie sind, Thalia Quinn."

"Thank you." Thalia's blush deepened.

"Gentlemen, I believe I will need to bring this to a close. Thalia has a doctor's appointment today."

A soft spoken woman stood. "Aucun problème, Ian. She is your child."

"C'est très aimable à vous de comprendre. Il se soucie de mon rétablissement complet." She rubbed her hand up the back of her neck. "J'étais dans un accident il y a quelques mois, et j'ai perdu mon mémoire. C'est repris, morceau par morceau, mais il veut s'assurer que je suis la guérison."

"Puis il est un homme bon." The woman smiled. "I will be in touch. Perhaps she can be not only a guest but a translator? She does seem to have the talent for it."

After they all stood up and left, Ian cradled her face in his hands. "You are the most wonderful child I've ever had the pleasure of creating."

"Dad, yuck." Thalia wrinkled her nose. "But now I'm serious. I do need to get something to wear to this gathering though."

"Thalia, your closet is impressive enough."

"First of all, it's only got two skirts and one of those is a dress skirt."

"Wear what you normally wear."

"Dad!" she growled out her response dramatically. "I already got branded as a snotty, intelligent rich girl by some idiot that took political science as his major. These people are the big leagues. Doctors, engineers, scientists just like me. People that took actually took actual science. And didn't pay the professors off to pass."

"Fine. But I did schedule an appointment to get you looked at. Now let's move."

~*~

"As far as I can tell, her brain isn't showing any long-term effects of damage from the accident. Which isn't specified in this," the doctor read the file again. "How did she get her concussion?"

"I remember bits and pieces." Thalia frowned. "I was running, for some odd reason. I can never figure out why. I keep hallucinating that there was someone there, trying to stop me. They didn't, and my foot hits the crosswalk and suddenly, everything goes black."

"Is that all you remember?"

"The next few parts are always confusing. I see myself, sprawled out on the road, blood blooming out from underneath me."

"Some patients do describe something similar, an out of body experience."

"And I see the car, and feel something right here." Thalia pressed her fingers to her neck. "It hurts and I'm slowly fading away. The car looks destroyed, but I think I did that," she said slowly. "And my neck still hurts, and I'm slowly fading away." She began staring at her hands, going silent.

"Does any of the medical report corroborate with her story?"

"They didn't find a car," Ian said, making the doctor frown. "Nobody knows where the car thing came from. The first doctor I sent her to said it could be something psychological she did to protect herself from whatever actually happened."

"It is a unique defense mechanism, I'll give it that. Perhaps while she was missing, she created the mechanism to gloss over the bad that happened to her during that time. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, she looks like she is doing fine. But I would recommend she talk to someone about this and see if more details could be shed."

"She talks to her boyfriend all the time. He would tell me if anything strange happened to appear in their conversations."

"Boyfriend?"

"Her blood donor." Ian hastily explained. "He wanted to stick around for her recovery. Make sure his blood wasn't going to waste. He has a pretty uncommon blood type and so does she."

"So I saw."

"So he stuck around since then. Became her friend, then her lover-- Gah, sorry. Her aunt has an archaic way of speaking." Ian smiled briefly. "They've really made each other bloom."

"Glad to hear that," the doctor nodded. "Well, other than that, I do have one question. There are some parts of her skull and brain that are actually shaped differently than they're supposed to. And her skull actually has a thicker layer of bone matter than anything I've seen before. It really is quite fascinating."

"Well, can you make due and have those faxed to her original doctor?"

"Of course. Sorry, one last thing. Has she exhibited any more seizures?"

"No."

"Than I'll get these faxed. You two can leave."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"So you are telling me that Coulson suddenly wants me back?"

"Well, no, not exactly." Skye leaned on the edge of the desk. "A group of agents are coming in from Sokovia and when they get here, he'll brief them. Granted they'll be none too pleased that their newest mission will be babysitting an 084--"

"No no, I'm not an 084, I'm a Puerto Rican from Carefree, Arizona. The helmet's the 084."

"Coulson wants agents on you when you and Thalia have your little meet up."

"Maybe you could be a part of the team!" Sam laughed. "You and two others could be part of my team. That way Coulson knows that people he knows will be watching me and he might actually consider making it a two person surveillance team."

"I'll ask him."

"To answer your question, being Nova is tough, but really cool. We sometimes go all over the galaxy."

"Really? Have you met any--"

"Aliens? Yeah, tons. Chitauri, Kree, more humanoid types like Asgardians."

"Have you ever even been to Asgard?"

"Once and only once, with my mentor. Everybody that we saw actually understood us, and my mentor said it was because of something in their brains that allows them to read, hear, speak and translate every known language. Other species, however, would need a special implant. One in the Broca's area and one in the Wernicke's area. Basically a Google Translate app installed in their brain."

"Would it be possible that Thalia can do that?"

"Oh yeah. All Asgardians can. I passed a couple of kids there speaking Latin. Like, actual Roman Empire Latin. A language that's been dead on Earth for centuries and they're using it like we're using English."

"Hey, Buckethead, your turn for dishes tonight!" A girl in the background yelled.

Sam sighed. "I have to go."

Ending the video call, Skye straightened and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"I just spoke German and French today!" Thalia said quickly.

"Oh, cool for you."

"I spoke it  _fluently_!"

"Fantastic."

"Two languages I've never spoken before!"

"Thalia, slow down. Your friend Sam said that happens."

"He isn't  _like_  me."

"No, but he said that language stuff like that is totally normal. You forget, our team has had experience with other native Asgardians. Not to mention there's one who lives on earth if you have questions. Tell your dad you want to look into it. I bet he'll let you. I'll even tell you where Coulson moved him so you can get in contact."

"Thank you," Thalia breathed. "I gotta go."

Hanging up the phone, she sent the information to Thalia's phone, pushing off the desk. Coulson entered the room. "I heard what you said to Sam. And I accept his proposal but there's still gonna be three agents."

"Did you know native Asgardians know Latin?"

"So does Romanoff."

"Yeah, but that's one human to an entire race of people that speak it. Sam said his mentor took him there once. Apparently Asgardians can understand and communicate in every language known in the galaxy."

"Don't poke the bear, Skye."  
~*~  
"Donnie, I think it'd be a good idea. An Asgardian that can tell me the answers to all my burning questions."

"I agree. They don't exactly have visiting hours up where your mom is, I don't think. So one that's here is the next best thing."

"What is this?" Thalia gasped. "You agree with me meeting a stranger who can tell me all about a place one of my parents was native to? The wise and cautionary Donnie would be called to arms right about now."

"You're funny," he replied dryly. "I'm steaming with anger."

"More like anxiety. By the way, control your breathing. You are in public."

"Shut up."

"Don't tell me what to do," she snorted. "I'm not your bitch."

"Well, if we're being totally honest here..."

Thalia gasped. "You wouldn't dare say that out loud!"

"Really? Because I can tell everyone here that if I kiss the right places with a little temperature change, you get goosebumps everywhere, or how there's a small spot behind your ear that causes a certain someone to make some serious happy noises when stimulated properly."

"I'm going to kill you," she said with a straight voice, nodding her head. "Lock you up so you can tell no one else these secrets."

"Well, thankfully, nobody else knows except the two of us that you melt like butter."

"I hate you."

"Oh sure, enough that you feel the need to kiss me to express your frustration."

"Hard." She smiled. "I have to go. I love you."

"Me too. I love you, too."

Ending the call, she stood. Viewing the newly sent number, she pressed in the numbers, pressing the phone to her ear. It rang briefly, the person on the other end answering on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Yes, hi, is this Elliot Randolph?"

"And you are?"

"Yes, sorry, I'm a friend of Agent Coulson's, and he gave me your number so you could answer some questions?"

"I'm listening."

"Well, that's a bit of a problem. I've got a ton of them, and frankly, I don't think either of us has the time to sit on the phone for what could theoretically be hours."

"Would it be acceptable if you came to visit me?" Elliot asked. "Because I must agree with you, ma'am, I do not have time. I have a lecture to attend in about an hour."

"Oh." Thalia bit her lip. "Well, if I am honest Mister Randolph, I'm under some pretty tight security here, and I doubt my dad would let me leave to go to Portland. He's strict that way."

"I'm sorry, who is this again?"

"Oh, I forgot. My name is Thalia Quinn."

"Thalia Quinn? Ian Quinn's daughter?"

"Yes sir."

"Coulson told me about you. Last I heard about you, I was being consulted about how to treat your argenteum poisoning."

"Well, I'm better now. Which obviously you can tell because I'm calling you."

"If I am truthful, Miss Quinn, I've been trying to find a way to contact your father and inquire about meeting you. I've been on Midgard for over a thousand years, and to find out about another of our kind living here, especially one so young and of mixed heritage." He chuckled. "A true biracial, but that's just my opinion. Never you mind."

"There have to be other Asgardians living on Midgard-- I mean, Earth. Are there?"

"Not besides you and I, Miss Quinn. Asgardians can't normally have children with mortals, so we stay to our own territories. And yet here you are. A most fascinating exception. I suppose Heimdall and many on Asgard keep their eye on you."

"Why?"

"Halfling children aren't supposed to exist. Well, the mortals say the same for Nephilim, but you get the point. When they do, they're almost always killed off. Except for you. Perhaps you're part of a Prophecy. The Prophesied are granted immunity so they can fulfill their purpose." Elliot laughed. "Now I'm rambling."

"How about this. We can work out a time where you can fly down here from Portland and we can have a sit-down. What do you think?"

"Most agreeable, Miss Quinn."

"Call me Thalia."

"Of course, Thalia. I am free all day tomorrow and the morning after, so I can fly to California say, tonight?"

"Yes. I look forward to seeing you."

"And I to you, Miss Quinn. Goodbye." When the phone call ended, she began making her way to her dad's office.

"Dad, I have a guest coming over tomorrow."

Ian looked up. "And who might it be?"

"A Norse Mythology professor named Elliot Randolph."

"Am I going to be able to guess why you're bringing him here?"

"He can tell me more about my other half of the family."

"Oh." Ian stood. "Alright. Besides that, are you ready to go?"

"Yes. What do you think?" Smoothing down the front of her dress, she glowed proudly at it: a white, form fitting dress with black lines criss-crossing the front. "I think it's very classy."

"Well, it's not me you're dressing for." Ian smiled. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Drawing her jacket closed, she pressed her hands to her sides. "So, let's go."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Picking up the phone, the first thing heard was, "So, Thalia Quinn wants me to come and talk about Asgard. She said you gave her my contact information."

"While I didn't, I didn't say she couldn't go after answers."

"Don't be discomfit. I had been trying to find a way to contact her since the consultation with her poisoning. Which speaking of, I did some research on her condition. The argenteum is created when there is a noticeable tear in dimensions outside the Convergence. I didn't think of it before, but there's some outside reason she didn't die, isn't there?"

"Professor, I believe we are getting off topic."

"Anyways, would it safe to assume I won't be walking into an ambush?"

"Thalia reached out herself, so I would have to say you are safe."

"Excellent. Goodbye, Agent Coulson."

Hanging up the phone, he switched it to a camera feed. Thalia and a group of adults sat around a table. She was waving her hands in the air, making an explosion and causing everyone to erupt into laughter. She picked up a soda in a metal cup, introducing some kind of trick, then she blew on the cup, spinning it on the table. Picking it up, she tilted it into her empty glass cup, and everyone clapped as the liquid inside turned to slush.

"Impressive parlor trick," he smiled.

"Coulson, we're picking up Hydra agents in their vicinity. Contact and make them aware of the threat?"

"Yes. Thalia cannot risk getting scared or losing her temper in front of others."

Zeke approached the table, whispering something into her ear. She looked around, then said something back, causing him to take a seat. Turning back to her table, she resumed, managing to make everyone laugh again.

"Damn, she's good." Coulson cracked a smile. May entered the room, and he pointed to the screen, saying, "I'm not sure if it's the Quinn blood in her veins or her S.H.I.E.L.D. training, but she's handling this beautifully."

"As bad as her father is, he is naturally charismatic. Could probably sell ice to an Eskimo."

Looking back to the screen, the group was now dispersing, leaving the small restaurant. Coulson grinned as everyone went their separate ways. "Crisis averted."  
~*~  
As her cell began ringing, she scooped it off the nightstand, checking the time. "Donnie, I love you to infinity and back, but it's four a.m. here. That's seven over in Delaware."

"I woke you up again, didn't I?"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm coming back early."

She sat up in bed, turning on the light. "Why?"

"My visit yesterday to Hammer went south. Very far south. My dad has been using some of my designs to further his own career. I talked to your dad about patenting them but I have to be there to sign off."

"Do you want me to meet you at the airport?"

"Unless Coulson's escorting you, you really think you're leaving the compound?"

"Let me be the Olivia Pope to your scandal. I'll get the paperwork set up, you sign, I'll InkScan your signature to the papers. They'll be patented by time you get off the plane."

"What's InkScan?"

"You send me a picture of your signature, I submit it to the machine, and it makes a small ink stamp type thing with your signature. I stamp the papers, viola, signed!"

"You're a lifesaver."

"You can thank me later."

"Oh I plan on it. See you tonight. I love you."

"I love you, too." Hanging up, she climbed out of bed, slipping into her robe. Padding down the stairs to Ian's office, she picked up the papers. After sending a picture of his signature, she stepped into the elevator, yawning as she began setting up the machine. Running the picture through, she yawned again, seeing Edward enter the lab. "You're down here early."

"I could say the same," he remarked. "I'm not used to California time."

"Foreigner?"

"Ian Quinn offered my mom a lot of money. If I went, he wouldn't mine our property. There's this crystal, clearer than diamonds, that grows in a small cave on our beach. Same like your necklace."

"The crystal was a birthday present to me. Years ago." Thalia ran a finger across the cold gem. "My aunt said she got it from a faraway place." She looked up. "You never saw a six foot something, blonde haired woman, did you?"

"No. I wouldn't forget someone like that. I can tell, though, those crystals didn't grow there originally. If it gets too warm, they disappear." When the machine chimed, she picked up the InkScan press, pressing it to the signing lines on the papers. "What is that?"

"It copies Donnie's signature onto a small ink stamp type thing. He asked me to sign these papers while he's on the plane."

"He's coming back?"

"He's pissed because his father was stealing his designs. So he's got to patent them before Drew passes them off as his own."

"His dad is all sorts of awful."

"Tell me about it," Thalia replied sleepily, stacking the papers together. "There. All done. I'm going back to bed."

"Alright. Have a good day."

Mumbling unintelligibly, she rode back up the elevator, entering the kitchen. "Zeke!"

He entered from the back door. "Yes, Miss Quinn?"

"Mister Randolph said he would be flying in last night. Would you pick him up from his hotel please?"

"Of course, Miss Quinn." He tossed his hair back. "Take your iron."

Mock saluting him, she downed her pill and chocolate milk. "His hotel is a half an hour away, Zeke!"

The door slammed. Running upstairs and getting dressed, she ran a brush through her hair when Donnie called. "So?"

He sighed deeply, going silent to listen to an intercom announcement. "Airport security is insane. Remind me why I do this."

"Because it would be a longer walk home than flight. And because you said you would thank me later for patenting your stuff."

"I'll think about it."

"Donnie..."

She heard him laugh. "Kidding!" He went quiet for a few moments. "I'm gonna have to call you back. My plane is boarding."

"Well, have a safe flight." Hanging up, the car pulled up in front. She quickly ran down the stairs. Taking the warm metal knob in her hand, she twisted it quickly, pulling it open to reveal a red haired man with a cardigan folded over his arm. "You must be Mister Randolph."

"And you must be Thalia," he replied courteously, nodding his head. "Your picture isn't in the news as often as I'd expect. Which leads me to believe your father is obviously more protective of you than let on."

"I've only had one picture taken of me, for my first negotiation. Turns out my dad wants to make a separate branch of business at Quinn Worldwide for my interests."

"That seems awfully generous."

"Well, I took a more... S.H.I.E.L.D. wise path to education. I major in BioWeapons."

"Biological weaponry? On Asgard, you'd be considered a sorceress of great power."

"I was actually given a more... regal stature in terms of titles." With Randolph at her side, she continued, "My aunt, she took me there and healed me. And through many people watching, my title was given to me."

"What was it?"

"My mother's is Lady Seductress, my aunt's is Lady Enchantress, and mine is Lady Khione."

"I am not familiar with that."

"The title is Greek, to reflect my Earthly identity. But it's Lady of Ice and Snow, my full and regal title." She blew out a puff of steam. "My aunt said it's because I'm the first sorceress in a few centuries with the ability to manipulate weather."

"Can you show me?"

Holding out her hand, a mini blizzard formed a snowball in her hand. Dropping it, it swirled out of existence. "I prefer not being awfully showy."

"Wow," Randolph gazed in awe. "Thankfully, the rise of Gifted people is making it easier to disguise your true heritage."

"Do you have any special powers, Mister Randolph?"

"Afraid not. I was a stone breaker, so the only thing I have going for me is strength."

"Well, why don't we sit down and talk about it?" Thalia directed him to a chair. "I'd love to hear all about it."  
~*~  
Taking a seat on the plane, he looked at the screen of his phone, seeing a picture of the signed patent papers and grinning. The screen darkened, and he pressed his phone to his ear, scowling at the person on the other end. "Donald, let me explain--"

"Stealing my designs? How do you explain that?" Donnie could feel his good mood souring. "Because I can explain it as a form of patent infringement."

"You're being dramatic."

"I'm being dramatic?" He scoffed in disgust. "You stole something I created and passed it off as your own work. The fact that you even did that is dramatic enough. And to be perfectly clear, those designs are patented. So what you're doing is not only unsavory, but illegal."

"Nobody will believe that those came from you."

"Just like you didn't believe I was in a relationship with Thalia, I tend to surprise people. And as of four a.m. California time, the designs are patented. So I'd stop using what isn't yours before your boss finds out."

"You dare to threaten me, Donald?"

"No, not at all. Just a friendly warning and some free advice." He curled his lip. "Mom would be disappointed in you."

Ending the call, he settled into his seat, feeling somewhat exhausted and sinking into sleep.

~*~

"It sounds so interesting!" Thalia said in awe, putting her elbows on her knees. "I didn't know Asgard was so beautiful."

"In some way, I believe you'd feel right at home. A young woman like yourself being taught magic while looking at the Bifrost."

"Well, then why'd you stay here on Earth?"

"I've lived there for thousands of years. At the time I joined, I figured any place where I wasn't breaking rocks was a place to be. And when we got here, I couldn't leave. Everything was so enchanting." He looked at her inquisitively. "You feel the same way about Midgard, don't you?"

"It's just, I was raised here my whole life. Well, what I can remember of it. And I'd always dreamed of going to where my mom lived and listen to more of her stories. One she told me, she said it was very old, was of an alien city on Earth known as Attilan. Kree aliens came here once and mixed with humans, then left. Her rumor was that their race is still here, hidden amongst the ranks of humans and things in between. She even drew the map of their city for me, but it drew me absolutely insane because I could never recreate it."

"Well, your mother is, to my knowledge, in prison. After her escape, she came here, and I could never figure out why until I heard about you. An Asgardian coming to Midgard when people here know of our existence?"

"You do prove a valid point."

"If I am correct, Miss Quinn, I do need to head back to my hotel. My plane leaves in the morning."

"Of course. I do have one question. While I did inherit some characteristics, and I'm incredibly strong, the strength doesn't stay. Why?"

"Well, think of it. You're only half, and you have to put most of your power into passing as human, so it would make sense that you don't have enough energy to put towards it. But when you aren't, you do. Make sense?"

"Now that you say it, it does." She stood. "Thank you for your time."

As soon as Randolph stood, she could hear his sharp intake of breath. "Odin's beard. Now I see why you're using so much energy."

"Why?"

"You truly are an unearthly kind of beautiful. Your lover is truly lucky." Nodding, he quickly left. Standing, she straightened her skirt, walking leisurely to the front door. Stopping in front of a mirror, she studied her reflection.

"Why on earth would he say that?" Thalia asked herself, moving closer to the mirror. But then she felt it, maybe even saw it in the reflection: a nearly invisible shimmer of energy in the air around her. Letting it down, she watched as her reflection transformed. Her eyes darkened, changing from dark brown to almost coffee black while the blue brightened. The door opened behind her, and she spun on the arches of her feet. "Is he here?"

"Hours of talking," she heard his amused and highly sarcastic voice. "Something a Thalia could pull off."

She smirked, allowing herself to be enveloped in Donnie's arms. "I'm sorry about your dad."

"Remember what I told you he said about my being Gifted. 'At what?'"

"Gifted at being incredibly intelligent," she replied. "So much that you make your dad jealous."

"Glad I'm not seeing him again," Donnie admitted with a sigh. "So, as part of me thanking you, I will cook dinner and put on a movie."

"What kind of dinner?"

"I'm making it a surprise," he said with finality. "So you cannot see what I am making."

Taking a long piece of fabric from his pocket, he first gathered her hair in a ponytail, tying it out of her face. Then he placed a thick piece of the fabric over her eyes, tying it tightly. Taking a few guided steps, she sat down on a barstool, listening to the sounds being made in the kitchen. "I didn't know you have ties."

"You asked me the other day if I wanted to wear one for dinner. And yes, I do. Many more than just clip-ons."

"Do you have clip on ties?"

Donnie snorted. "Thalia, please. I have some semblance of self-respect." Things fell quiet, and he said, "Your eyes are darker."

"Mister Randolph said I couldn't be strong all the time because of how much energy I'm putting into looking human. So I stopped."

"Your eyes are beautiful."

"He also said you would be very lucky to have someone like me. I think it was the way he phrased it, but for some odd reason it just sounds jumbled when I say it." Smelling the sweet aroma of boiling pasta, she leaned forward only to have a pair of hands grab her hips and push her back down into the seat. She grunted, making Donnie laugh. Swinging wildly behind herself, he caught her hands, pressing them to the counter and freezing them in place.

"Donnie!" Her incapacitated vision provided her with little to none in the way of getting out. Suddenly, the memory of evaporating the ice surfaced, and her hands were freed, allowing her to come to her feet.

"Whoa!" Donnie placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. "Are you deliberately trying to smash into a wall?"

"I was?"

"Now be still," he teased, untying the fabric. Finally able to see again, the first thing she saw was his look of absolute adoration. "That's never going to get old, will it?"

"What is?"

"Looking at you," he sighed happily. Snapping out of his reverie, he directed her to a chair. Sitting next to her, they both began eating. Finishing at the same time, he reached into his pocket, retrieving the tie. "Now stay still and don't go crashing into the wall."

With her darkened vision, she heard him cleaning up, then approaching her chair. In a twist, he picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the living room and setting her down on the couch. After selecting a movie, he took off her blindfold. "How romantic. Taking me to places I don't know," she teased him. "Hoping to impress me with hopes of going to bed together."

He snorted. "Just a 'thank you' evening." Sitting down, she moved onto his lap, covering them with a blanket. "What's the occasion?"

"For what?"

"Your hundred and twenty-eight pound body on top of mine." He looked amused. "Or more specifically, in my lap."

"I missed you," she said softly, kissing the side of his head. "Am I not allowed to enjoy your presence?"

"I didn't sit on  _your_ lap when you went off on your BioMedics trip."

"I am a tiny little thing," she laughed. "I would've been crushed."

He gasped theatrically. "You're calling me  _fat_  now?"

"You are thirty pounds heavier than me. And no, you are not." She laughed, playfully shoving him. "Now let's enjoy your carefully constructed evening."

As the opening started, Donnie said, "I actually came up with this on the plane."

"Wow, how creative."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Oh wow, you guys are here early."

"Yeah, we caught a red eye flight in at the most ungodly time," the trio of agents replied. Each of them sported various things, ranging from injuries to dirty clothes. "So, when can we go clean up?"

"Now," May checked Skye's tab. "Except for you, Comp. Your injuries are obviously the worst, going at six broken bones, all in various places. Head down to Medical to get those looked at. Skye will be taking your place in the Nova's surveillance."

"Thank God. I heard about the stuff Nova's done in New York. If he's really like all the bad guys say he is, I'm glad I'm not babysitting him." The agent limped off. May turned back to the other two. "Now, you two," she spoke sharply, "I want you two scoping the location. Make sure there's absolutely no Hydra anywhere close to where the Nova and Khione are meeting."

"One of the people we're babysitting is named after a Greek goddess?"

"She's got powers based off the test subject from Project Blizzard. So if something happens, be prepared for cold weather."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go get cleaned up and rest." When they left, May stilled. "I think that went well."

"I agree," Coulson said quietly. "But we need to keep on our guard."

"Why?"

"Turns out Hyde has been around ever since the beginning of all of this." Coulson sat down. "I was going through this whole thing with Donnie, and turns out, the entire file was corrupted. When I recovered the data, the actual report was an agent spotting him in California. After he mysteriously reappeared from the Mediterranean, intact." Coulson looked deep in thought. "She's playing with our heads. I figured that out when she mentioned Bahrain."

May stilled, stiffly sitting in a chair. "Melinda," Coulson said softly, "she only played tricks with your head."

"Simmons brought Donnie and Thalia in a while ago," May gritted out, "and Thalia somehow managed to erase Donnie's memories of being brainwashed. Trigger phrase and all."

"Thalia can do that? Why did she never tell me?"

"She never thought it was important." May creased her brow. "Which, now that I mention it, seems odd for Simmons to do. The offspring of an Asgardian that could control men being able to play with people's heads? That would've been in blazing red across the report."

"Hyde. She's still here." Coulson stood. "I need you to get ahold of Fitz. Have him clean out our system. If she's still here, she could've been warping whatever else that's happened."

"She's been brainwashing us into denial and paranoia." May scowled. "She's been dosing us with Joy to keep us calm."

"I want Simmons in here. I want to interrogate her on all known associations with Donnie and Thalia, separate and together."

"Start at the monitoring bracelet." May stormed away. "Someone told me that she had been saying some very unlike Simmons things."  
~G.A.M.E.~

Waking, Donnie checked the clock, surprised when it read 7:59 a.m. Thalia was still asleep, her face still and peaceful. Her arm was tucked under her head, causing the pillow to puff up around her head. Pulling her hair aside, he pressed his lips behind her ear. "Thalia..." He whispered in her ear, scraping his teeth against the shell of her ear. She still slept contently, so he pulled back the neckline of her sweatshirt, sucking on the crook of her neck. Finally rousing her sometime later, she reached up and let her fingers play with his hair. "Good morning."

"Good morning, my love," Thalia smiled sleepily. "How did you sleep?"

"Excellent," he yawned gruffly. "Do you realize what time it is?"

"I asked to have a free day," she sighed happily. "So I would like to spend it in bed. Breaking the bad news."

"What bad news?"

"Sam..." Thalia sat up, "was Anna's boyfriend."

"Oh well then it's decided. I'm definitely going with you."

"Donnie..."

"Don't 'Donnie' me, Thalia. There's a boy out there that can 'tell you about your past' and in exchange for what?"

"Maybe it's a good deed committed by a Good Samaritan? You know, someone who restores faith in humanity by doing good deeds out of the good of their heart? They do exist, my love."

"Don't be condescending to me. Saying 'my love'."

Thalia leaned to one side, her lips curving into a sly smile. "It's me saying I love you, you egg."

"What's that?"

"Hm?" She looked at her shoulder, noticing a reddish bruise on her shoulder. "I don't know. A hickey maybe?"

"Except Thalia doesn't get hickeys. Well, used to not get them." Suddenly he broke into a grin. "I've finally got you."

"Did you not have me before? What is it you have?"

"You made me think you couldn't get hickeys, didn't you?"

"And risk my dad threatening to kill you because you 'laid hands on his daughter'? If it weren't for my mother being who she is, he would probably be the most devout Irish catholic the chemical engineering community has ever seen."

"He's religious?"

"His mom, my grandma, was. Didn't follow suit." Thalia smirked. "Still. You know better than to leave hickeys in places people can see them."

"Maybe it's due to the people you're seeing that inspires such behavior."

"My, my, such behavior. And you haven't even met Sam." Crawling out of bed, she grabbed her hairbrush. "Will you brush out my hair?"

"Yeah. You know Thalia, I am going to decorate you with declarations of my love."

"As long as as they fade somewhat by tomorrow. Next thing I need is another boy getting territorial over me."  
~*~  
"As I said, sir, Hydra had attacked them. Thalia genuinely feared that Donnie would hurt someone. So I didn't question when she said she knew how to make it stop."

"Jemma Elizabeth Simmons, you realize the implications of what happens when you falsify reports."

"Of course I do, sir. I wasn't falsifying anything, I was under the belief that Thalia has the right to her privacy."

"Thalia wants us to help her figure out her abilities, Jemma."

"Is it now?"

Standing up, Coulson left the room. May stood outside, looking in through the window. "Well?"

"She's been messed with. Hyde wants us thrown off of her trail. But why?"

"It's my belief that maybe Hyde wants something to do with Thalia. Playing both sides of the game."

"So what's the end goal?"

May noted the look of confusion on Simmons' face. "Taking us out of the picture."  
***  
"I'm horrible at bed days!" Thalia laughed bitterly, glowering at the clock. "It's ten fourteen and I feel like I haven't gotten a thing accomplished!"

"Then get out of bed," Donnie suggested, nuzzling her shoulder. His fingers brushed her scalp as he began to absently braid her hair. "Go out. It's a beautiful day."

"Ma chérie, tu es un génie." She smiled, sighing in relief. "That's sounds like a brilliant idea."

He smiled. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Me speaking French, mon amour."

"Strangely, I find it very hot that you speak French. With it being the language of love and all."

"Let's be clear, you could tell me about engineering and I would still be absolutely in love with you."

"Are we going to get out of bed? Or are you going to sit in my lap and whisper dirty things in my ear in another language?"

"Is there a third option that includes both of those? Nous pourrions aller à la piscine, profiter aujourd'hui alors venu maison et prendre un bain long et chaud?"

He laughed. "Come on, you pick the place."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"You want me to do what?" Fitz looked up. "And what for?"

"Coulson wants you to place an EMP device in the system. Someone's monitoring our activity and making copies of our files."

He crinkled his eyebrows. "Well, that's nonsense. Why would someone do that?"

"Can you do it or not?"

"It'll be finished tomorrow. That's earliest I can build a device."

Nodding, May left the lab, suddenly hearing Skye swear at something. "Damn it, stupid laptop!"

Entering the lounge, May asked, "What's wrong?"

"I let Koenig borrow it to watch a movie and now the stupid thing has a virus!" Skye slammed the computer shut. "Never trusting Lightning Foot again."

"Can you help with Fitz building the EMP device?"

"I can't. My laptop is incapacitated. And the designs for that EMP thingy are on the computer."

"Well then get your computer down to the lab and fix it ASAP. We need that device now."  
~*~  
"It's amazing how empty the beach is." Thalia padded through the sand, seeing a small amount of people. "Why is it?"

"School started almost a week ago, dummy," Donnie scolded her teasingly. "Although I can't exactly blame you for not knowing when we barely left the house."

"What do you think are the chances we get busted for 'truancy'?"

Donnie huffed. "You're funny."

Standing in the water, Thalia shrugged into Donnie's button down, protecting her arms from the ocean breeze. "You know, the professor I talked to shed a lot of light on my mom and her homeland."

"What did he say?"

"A lot of stuff, actually." She turned to face Donnie, who slathered sunscreen on his arms. "Asgard sounds beautiful."

Sinking to her knees in the sand, Thalia took the sunscreen from his hands, putting some in her hand and beginning to put some on his face. "Do you ever wonder, Thalia? About what it would be like to live in Asgard?"

"Sometimes. I dream of seeing my mom again, not aging a day since I last her. I dream of living in a small house near the Bifrost," she smiled, "with you there and a little girl running around under our feet. She'd have your eyes and my hair." She ran her thumbs under his eyes. "But then I recognize the dream for what it really is: a dream. And then I don't like wondering what it would be like to live there."

Focusing on applying his sunscreen, Thalia focused on his forehead. Looking up at her, he waited for her to finish before he kissed her. Her hands hovered away from him, and he could feel her lips begin to tremble. Pulling back, her eyes were screwed shut, and she bit down hard on her lip, turning her face away from him. The pain was clearly visible on her face, and he felt nothing but sympathy. "It isn't your fault, Thalia. Not a single bit of it is."

"I know," she replied hoarsely. "I just wish it was different. I wish I was human."

"You've pulled out of some pretty sticky stuff because you aren't human. If you were human, I would've been burying you earlier this month, or back in July or back in April. You would be dead if you were anywhere close to a hundred percent human."

She let go of her lip, which was once bleeding and now completely healed. "Not to mention you would've also been dead years ago. Tasha and Clint said you should have suffocated from smoke inhalation or died from exsanguination. Both of those being narrowly missed by you being able to heal. There are tons of scenarios in there was a chance you should've died yet didn't because you weren't entirely human."

"So your point is?"

Donnie felt a smile creeping up on his mouth. "That can't determine if you are normal. Because news flash, Thalia Quinn is as far from normal as one can get."

She let out a sound between a sob and a laugh, pressing a quick smooch to his forehead. "You are amazing, you know that?" She asked, wiping stray tears from her cheeks.

He smiled deviously. "I heard it a few times."

"You are perverted," she snorted, pushing him down in the sand. Sitting up, he picked up the sunscreen. "What are you up to?"

"Putting sunscreen on you," he answered. "And as tough as a half-Asgardian fighter scientist girl is, she is still prone to sunburns. Now get over here."

"I can heal," she pouted, pulling off the button down. Pressing it to her front, she laid on her head on her knees while Donnie rubbed sunscreen on her back.

"See, now that's you acknowledging you'll be fine because you'll heal. If you did that a lot more often, you would be a lot better off." He kissed her hair. "Now come on, I have to do your face and then we can get started."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Simmons," Skye said, causing her to jump. "You seem jumpy. What did Coulson talk to you about?"

"Did I ever make a note on that report when Hydra attacked Donnie and Thalia about Thalia being able to mess with memories?"

"Is that what he talked to you about?" Skye tapped a few keys. "Because that doesn't really seem important. Where did he hear that from?"

"May."

"May was there?"

"Apparently," Jemma shrugged. "Did I?"

"No." Skye shook her head. "Why?"

"May knows."

"That Thalia..." Skye wound a finger around her head, and Jemma nodded. "Damn. We need to keep that under tighter wraps."

"Hey guys!" A boy bound into the lab. "Got here early!"

Skye nodded towards the teenager. "What's up, Sam?"

"Sam?" Jemma turned. "As in Samuel Alexander?"

"Uh, yeah."

Jemma stood. "Would you mind if I drew blood--"

"Whoa, whoa, science lady, I don't have powers!" Sam held up his hands. "The helmet does!"

Skye laughed, spinning on her stool. "Yeah, he's picky about the pokey, so you won't be getting blood from him unless it's from a wound."

"Well could I get a demonstration of your powers, possibly run tests on your... helmet?" Jemma noted the helmet sitting on the holocom.

"I'm not allowed to let anybody touch it," Sam said quickly. "My mentors said so."

"Well your mentors hold no rank here."

"One of them is Rhomann Dey." Sam crossed his arms. "He is a centurion in the Nova Corps. Ask Coulson."

"He's not lying," Coulson said, entering the lab. "His mentors and S.H.I.E.L.D. have had communications before. Mostly about Sam. Just to notify us if he's needed." Coulson smiled briefly. "And I've seen Samuel get in some nasty fights with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents over the helmet. I wouldn't touch it."

"Why not?"

"Last person that touched it ended up with four broken fingers and a sprained wrist."

Skye laughed. "Way to go, Buckethead. Protecting your turf."

"Ugh, Ava. I'm going to kill you," he grumbled. "Yeah. I have to be. It was bestowed upon me, so it's an honor I have to defend." Clapping his hands together, he said, "Well, if you excuse me, I have to get on the phone with Thalia and pick a place to meet."

Leaving the lab, it left Coulson, Skye and Jemma together. "Skye, did you get the virus off your computer yet?"

"It's some kind of super virus. Like a combination of a Trojan, malware and at least four other nasty things that I can't even begin complaining about. It could be a while."

Sam put down his phone. "What about the Backdoor?"

Skye looked at Sam. "The what?"

"Yeah. Anna made it. It logs you in under any suspicious software's radar. She used it for decryption in some of the parts of her file."

"Mind telling how she did that?"

"Here," Sam sat down, spinning the computer to face him. He began typing in a complicated string of symbols, letters and numbers, finally hitting the enter button. Within seconds, the computer was logged in, displaying the home screen. "There. It should be easier to kick whatever it is in the butt when you don't have to remotely access the data."

"Thanks!"

"Just be careful. Some behavior the virus can recognize and actually kick you out. Anna was best at this, but since she's gone, we're gonna have to make do."

"Sam, if I may," Jemma stood slowly, "since you are the leading expert on all things Anna Crawford, would you mind filling in some blanks and blacks on her file?"

"Her file's got redacted bits in it?"

"Just a few bits and pieces and I thought..."

"Yeah sure, whatever you need," Sam nodded. "Anything in particular?"

"We should talk," Jemma led him away. Coulson looked at Skye. Skye shrugged, returning to her computer.

~*~

"It stings!"

"What?" Thalia smiled. "You haven't had one before?"

"No! Remember, constant cloud coverage combined with me staying inside all the time," Donnie replied. Sitting without his shirt around his neck, Thalia massaged sunburn relief into his back. He gritted his teeth, and Thalia came around to his front, rubbing small puddles of aloe onto his face. "I look like a piece of toast."

"Delicious?"

"Burnt."

"I'd still eat it," she grumbled, noticing his look and giggling. "Kidding!"

"You have a dirty mind," he grumbled, a smile on his face. "Perhaps worse than mine."

"Why, because I'm more experienced than you?"

"Not true." Thalia blew gently on his face, chilling the tender, burned areas under his eyes. He closed his eyes and felt Thalia's lips press against the spot between his eyebrows. "If I remember correctly, you, as Thalia, have not had any other partners."

He hissed in pain as she applied aloe to his shoulders. She sighed. "Un bain frais devrait améliorer les coups de soleil. Je vais l'eau qui coule, vous déshabiller." When a confused frown began forming on his burned face, she said, "I said some cold water should help. I'll get some running, you get undressed."

Standing, Thalia strode over to the bathtub, beginning to fill the tub with cold water. He pulled his shirt over his head, wincing at when it came into contact with burned skin. Looking over again, Thalia pulled off his button-down, exposing red shoulders that began rapidly fading back to normal, leaving a coat of intricate frost along her shoulders and down her back. She turned to face him, and he stepped into the bathtub, cold water swirling around his calves. "Sit."

Slowly, he sank into the water, wincing when it touched burns. Thalia sank in with him, sitting on her legs. Touching her back, Donnie felt her go still as his fingers explored the decorated skin. Frost shimmered in the light under his fingers, and he ran water over her back, watching as it shimmered. "Why does it do that?"

"What? The healing?" Thalia shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to put some scientific reason behind something so beautiful. I mean, it's different each time, even if some of it's in the same place." She leaned on him, and he let his arms circle her waist. "No need to label something beautiful."

"Thalia?"

She tilted her head to the side, resting her forehead against his bicep. "Hm?"

"Promise me that tomorrow will be easy to handle."

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody will get their feelings hurt."

"Well that's kinda impossible. I don't know how serious Anna's relationship with Sam was. But I will try to keep things neutral."

"And promise me one other thing."

"And what would that be?"

"Don't let Sam hurt you."

"He obviously still cares about her, Donnie. I am at least a hundred percent positive he would rather fall upon his own knife than to stick it in my gut." She kissed his arm. "Why?"

"Because I was going to say we could..."

"You were going to ask me to..." Thalia began laughing. "Well, if being honest is a thing I find attractive is guys, you can't get more honest than that. It does tell me one thing, though."

"What?"

"You can't get more honest than actually admitting you're horny." Upon his stiffening posture, she turned around, the action fluid and graceful in the confined environment. "I could tell. You get really quiet, yet very gentle with your soft touches. I've noticed it a few times before."

"It sounds embarrassing."

"It's sweet. You want to be gentle and romantic, yet you want my consent before continuing." She sat on his thighs. "But I have to say no. Because Donnie, you are sunburnt to hell and back." She kissed him softly. "Don't subject yourself to that kind of torture."

"Good thing I don't take orders from you," he muttered, leaning forward and kissing her. Leading, he tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging impatiently on the knotted black strands until they escaped from the knot they were carefully arranged in.

"If you're not going to listen to me, you go big or go home," she said breathlessly, roughly finger combing her hair to the side before kissing him again. Reaching for the rim of the tub, Thalia caught Donnie's hand, feeling her hand slowly chill. Tightening her hand around his, she broke the kiss, panting, "Not in here. You'll get the both of us into massive trouble."

Sliding his fingers between hers, he kissed her again, now sweeter. Again, Thalia broke the kiss, pulling herself away and leaving the tub. "What?" She looked at him, who gave her a look of confusion. "I don't want to catch a cold. Then I wouldn't be able to go tomorrow."

"'Don't want to catch a cold'? Now that's just being mean."

"You're free to join me outside of the bathroom," she threw out behind her shoulder. "That is if your sunburns magically disappear."

"Killjoy."  
~*~  
"So Thalia, what is this?"

"What it is, Dad, is a family dinner." Thalia sat down. "Donnie is sleeping off the sunburn pain so we are going to enjoy a nice, lovely dinner. Now sit."

Sitting, Ian watched as Thalia began eating her sushi, encouraging him to do the same. "I didn't know you could make sushi."

"I didn't. I asked Miss Sato."

"She's here?"

"No, I asked her what types you like and she actually sent over a sushi chef to make them. I surprised the man when I was able to sit and have an intellectual conversation with him in Japanese."

Ian watched as she animatedly talked about a series of amazing things. But inside, he felt sad that yet again, he hadn't been able to see her grow. To see her become the amazing young woman that she was now. "Thalia," Ian said cautiously, "have you given much thought to where you where you want your life to go?"

Her chopsticks rested against her plate. "Is it bad to say I haven't?" She gave him a nervous smile. "I mean I feel like someone gave me this big ring of keys to doors I've never seen and now people are telling me that I need to unlock them. I need to find out what the doors are." Then she laughed wryly. "You're not telling me to move out, are you?"

"No, sweetheart." Ian chuckled. "I was wondering what you wanted to do with your life. Like, do you still want to be an environmental scientist, or what you want to do."

"Well, I want to do those things," she frowned slightly. "I'm just not sure that I could."

"What do you mean?"

"I've already got a profession, Dad," she balanced her chopsticks on her fingers, watching small bolts of electricity begin to form a DNA model. "I'm not sure that I could turn away from something so ingrained in my life. Because yes, I do have this vast knowledge of learning how to make things... BioWeapons and I am grateful that some of that knowledge is useful in my everyday life, but I would rather hang onto it. Because while I can't make the things my title says I can due to our current situation, I still have the opportunity to make people's lives better through ventures in medicine. With the knowledge I have, I could go into gene therapy, use what I know to help people everywhere."

He smiled. "That's what I want to hear."

When someone knocked at the door, Thalia stood, playing with her chopsticks as she walked to the door. Suddenly he heard a sharp intake of air, and he stood, walking to the front entrance. He stopped when he saw a gun muzzle pressed to Thalia's temple. "Dad..."

"Where is he?" Drew growled, pressing the gun harder into her temple. "Where is my son?"

"Drew, put the gun down," Ian said slowly, and Drew squeezed the trigger, causing Thalia to flinch. "Thalia, calm down."

"Yes, because I'm supposed to be calm when the force of a bullet going over a thousand feet a second can actually crack open my skull!" She hissed, and Drew pulled the hammer back on the gun.

"My son, Ian!" Drew tightened his finger on the trigger. "Or you'll be seeing exactly what's in this pretty little head. Now," he said slowly, "where is he?"

Drew squeezed the trigger a bit and she wheezed, going rigid. As the obvious signs of her fear began to show, Ian heard a door open upstairs. "Thalia, where's the aloe vera at?" Donnie asked sleepily. "My shoulder is killing me and my face is burning and I really just want to go back to sleep." He approached the opening of the stairs and opened his eyes, gently rubbing them. Seeing the scene, he abruptly went still. "Dad?"

"Donald," Drew said, "how lovely of you to join us."

Ian watched as Donnie's eyes connected with Thalia's, then the gun to her head and he was immediately at the foot of the stairs, his face set in a cold, hard stare. "Let her go." He clenched his fists. "Now."

"Sure," Drew replied, pulling the trigger further in and making Thalia yelp. Without warning, a bright flash of blue light erupted from behind him, hitting him square in the back and knocking him off his feet. Getting pinned underneath him, Thalia came to her feet, being immediately wrapped in Donnie's arms. Looking through the door, a floating figure hovered in the air, then flew into the house. Ian sighed, recognizing the figure.

"Thalia, are you okay?" Sam asked, and she nodded. 

She examined the area, smiling at Sam. "Thank you."

"Just doing a civil duty," Sam replied. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go place that guy under S.H.I.E.L.D. arrest for B&E, endangering civilians with deadly force, the usual."

"So you're kinda like a police officer?"

"Sort of," Sam smirked. "You know, without the whole arresting and killing people for no reason."

Exiting the house, he left Donnie and Thalia alone. Heading to the kitchen, she began mixing things together, much to Donnie's dismay. "What are you up to?"

A few minutes later, she poured a clear liquid in a cup. "Here."

He held the cup at arm's length. "What is this?"

"A little something I put together." Looking at it, he eventually drank it, setting the cup down. "How do you feel?"

"Fine. Wait, I don't feel awful anymore!"

"You're welcome."

"Thanks." He looked up, his face broken into a smile. "Wearing a skirt? And another one of my shirts? Progress," he teased. "Now I have this really bad taste in my mouth."

"It'll fade," she said softly. "Just an after effect."

"I'm sorry about not helping you," Donnie blurted. "I didn't want to hurt him again."

"I had a few things up my sleeve," she said wryly, sliding the chopsticks from her sleeve. "And you know, we still have sushi."

Leading him to the table, she picked up a piece of sake, giving it to him. As he began chewing it, she said, "適切ではない寿司をかむしないでください!"

Donnie swallowed, soon choking. "What was  _that_?"

"Me telling you not to chew sushi." She crossed her arms. "It's improper."

"You want to know what's improper? You yelling at me in Japanese about sushi etiquette!" He pouted. "I don't think I like being yelled at in foreign languages."

"大好きです。" She tilted her head to the side, placing it on the back of her hand. "You're adorable."

"I love you, too," he said softly. "Come on."

He led her to her feet. "Where?"

"The living room," Donnie pulled her along, sitting on the couch. He still held her hands, and he slowly pulled her down. She sat down gracefully, placing her hand on the back of the couch.

"What is it?"

"I really am sorry about my dad," he began, and Thalia sighed. "Had I known he would come back and threaten you like that, I wouldn't have been so... Disrespectful."

"'Disrespectful'... Donnie, you are not disrespectful. Unruly at times, but not disrespectful. Why would you think that?"

"Because he drilled it into my head that somehow I am." When Thalia began searching his head, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"No drill holes that I can find," she concluded, and he laughed. "Except right here." Sticking her fingers in his ears, his face fell. "Donnie, I love you so much, but you rely too heavily on what others think of you. The only people you need to listen to are me and my dad. Your boss and your girlfriend. Can you do that for me?"

"I can try."

"Come on," she stood. "I promised a warm bath and I will deliver."

"You did?"

"You need to learn French, my love," she began climbing the stairs. "Are you coming or not?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	25. Lune De Ma Vie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's Monday.... And I don't really have anything to say other than I don't own anything except for Thalia and a handful of other characters. This message inspired by the mentioning of a character called Phillip Masters (he's a villain with the ability to control people through little puppets, known as the Puppet Master) who's actions were used in comparison to Hyde's ability of controlling people.

Slipping into a jacket, Skye adjusted her gloves as May walked into the room. "I decided to keep an ICER on me, if that's okay."

"And a normal gun?"

"Lethal force is only gonna be used if the attackers pose a threat to Thalia's or Sam's lives."

"Good," May nodded her head. "The place they decided on was a relatively public place with lots of windows and ability to scope from the rooftops."

"How's Comp doing?" Skye asked, her expression sympathetic. "I heard about what happened in Sokovia."

"As bad as it looks, he's fine." May shrugged. "Minimal scarring, but otherwise, he'll live."

"Is the place we're gonna be stationed gonna at least have shade of some sorts? It's gonna be pretty hot today."

"See if Thalia can't work something out," May answered with a coy smile. "Ask her for some cloud coverage or lower temperatures."

Nodding, Skye strapped her ICER to her hip, leaving the range and heading to Coulson's office. "Coulson, I have a question," she said quickly, seeing Sam sitting on the edge of Coulson's desk. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"

"No," Coulson shook his head, "just discussing something." Standing, Sam twisted a ring on his finger. "All I'm saying is be gentle."

He took the ring off, then slipping it back onto his finger. He nodded softly, twisting the ring when it was back on his finger. When he left, Coulson turned to Skye. "He's got a bad feeling about today."

"Why?"

"He keeps twisting his ring," Coulson pointed to his thumb. "He does that when he's nervous, but he's been taking it off and putting it back on. Something's really bugging him."

"Could it be a case of nerves?"

"Hard to tell. Last he saw Anna was before she left for a mission. Australia or Britain, I don't know. All he sees is Thalia and it freaks him out."

"Anyways, I was gonna clear it with you," Skye wove her fingers together, "but the others were wanting to know about the use of lethal force on enemies that endanger Thalia or Sam."

"I agree. Thalia, even with her dense skeletal structure, could break bones with extreme brute force, which I don't doubt that any enemy will use. And Sam's only got his powers with the helmet on. It comes off and he could get killed. But only you can carry any type of lethal force. The others don't know Nova's or Khione's weaknesses."

"Yes, sir."

~*~

Opening her eyes, Thalia pulled back the sleeves of her thermal shirt, watching Donnie sleep. He looked somewhat peaceful while sleeping, yet he also looked tormented for reasons she didn't know. Reaching out and smoothing the lines from his face, he unconsciously leaned into her touch, his facial expressions now gentler. As he began drooling on his pillow, she smiled, beginning to slip out of the bed when Donnie reached out and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back. "Leaving so soon?"

She pressed her lips against his shoulder. "I was going to go to my room."

He made a soft noise. "Then don't let me stop you. I'll sleep on."

"But I don't want to," she whined, and he chuckled, rolling onto his back. When she straddled his waist, he rubbed his eyes. "I want to stay."

"Then stay," he yawned, sitting up with his back against the headboard. "I don't mind."

She reached forward, placing her hand inside the handprint on the headboard. Surrounded in a barely visible circle of ice, she wiggled her fingers in it; Donnie noticed the motion and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Got a little intense, did we, Donnie?"

"It's hard not to when you're doing things like this," he tilted his head back, exposing a smattering of small reddish-purple hickeys along his throat. "Because that was unfair."

Thalia placed her hands on top of his. "I didn't realize that it was a game to see how far one could go without touching the other. A little game of Too Hot, was it? If I did remember, the point of the game is to not touch. And I won, so I could do whatever I wanted. And I wanted to sleep."

"You're gonna end up winning again."

"Well, I forfeit because I have to get ready."

"No you are not!" He laughed, pulling her in and giving her a sloppy morning kiss. "You," he mumbled against her chin, "got in," then against her jaw, "too deep." Stopping to pick up her snowflake pendant, he ran his fingers up the chain, stopping when his arms were wrapped around her neck. "Just like I am."

She smiled. "Okay,  _now_ I have to get dressed." She jumped off the bed. Landing feet first, she went to her room, picking out an outfit when she felt her shadow lingering in the doorway. "Donnie, what's wrong?"

"I want you to stay," he said softly.

"Donnie, I'm going."

"Can I at least go with you?" He asked plaintively. "From what you told me, it's not-- it's not safe."

She turned around, sitting them both down on the bed. "Tell me."

"Well for starters, like I said yesterday, a boy who neither of us know from S.H.I.E.L.D. that says he knew some other version of you that he dated."

"It confuses me too. But Coulson says he can be trusted." Wryly, she added, "And when has Hydra ever enlisted the help of Gifted teenagers to do their dirty work, like assassinating people of importance such as scientists and people of power in agencies and government?"

After scowling, he said, "Next there's S.H.I.E.L.D. monitoring everything and ensuring Hydra won't attack even though last I checked, Hydra managed to take them over from the inside."

"They did?"

"Yeah." Donnie nodded, adding, "There are some things you need to pick up."

"Is that all?"

"Zeke is also very nervous. Didn't you notice? He's keeping his hands on his gun. He  _never_  does that." He wrung his hands. "Ever."

Thalia frowned. "I'll talk to Coulson about it. It seems there are more problems with this meeting than Coulson and Sam made out to be." She brightened. "You can come with me to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and monitor, if you want."

"I can't. Thanks to the whole dad thing, I have to figure out why he came back. Your dad and I are going to his cell today."

"Okay. Stay safe." She pressed her lips to his forehead. "Je t'aime beaucoup."

"I love you, too," she heard him say softly, reciprocating the kiss. "I'm gonna get dressed."

"Me, too." When he left, she began slipping into her clothes, now feeling the faint tang of wrongness about the day.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"And now the device is running," Fitz said. "It's running a Hyde repellant through the network. I just hope nothing happens." Fitz formed a ball with his hands. "It'll make the device she's holing herself in short out." He mimicked an explosion.

"Good," May nodded. "She needs to be flushed out for good."

"Excuse me, Agent May," an agent interrupted, "we found some kind of sustaining chamber delivered."

"What's in it?"

"A body."

"Of who?"

"It actually came with a message for you."

Entering the other room, the sustaining chamber held a redhead, her face sharp in its relaxed state. "Who is this?"

"Like I said, ma'am, the message." Pointing to the taped paper, she pulled it off, inspecting the writing.

_Melinda,_

_As you guessed by now (with reasonable doubt) this is me. The body and the hand behind the humorous letter I write. To begin with common courtesies, I apologize for the gross invasion of your privacy and the mentioning of Bahrain. While I was there once, it wasn't during your organization's encounter with the Inhumans._

_This form you see in front of you, this redhead, isn't my true body, but it was my favorite. Do me a favor and watch it until I arrive? I'll reward you greatly._

_Until we meet again,_   
_Christina Hyde_

"I want a thorough exam of this body now," May ordered. "She is toying with us. Get a Cage bracelet on it ASAP."

As agents wheeled the chamber away, Coulson came up behind her. "She's up to something."

"She's a super villain; they're always up to something."

"This is different," May answered uneasily. "Whatever she's got up her sleeve, it's... Strange."

"Strange how?"

"Like she's waiting for something to happen. Anticipating the event, even mocking us in the form of her writing this note of apology." Passing the paper back, she added, "She apologized for Bahrain."

"That's odd." Coulson raised an eyebrow. "She almost sounds melancholic about it. And 'apologizing for the gross invasion of your privacy'? Why would she word it like that?"

"She actually sounds honest." May went silent. "She sounds  _sorry_."

"I'm not believing it," Coulson tucked the paper into his jacket. "She tortured Donnie, possessed Thalia, mocked you and Bahrain. She's a satirical bitch with a nasty trick up her sleeve." He soon felt angry. "And we don't have a damn choice except for waiting until she makes it."  
~*~  
Tapping his fingers against the banister, Thalia approached Ian. "Dad, stop worrying. You're gonna give yourself gray hairs."

"I'll have gray hair by time Donnie's ready to leave," he muttered.

"I heard that!"

"It was meant for you, Donald!" Ian yelled. "So hurry up!"

"Coming."

Speeding down the stairs, he swept Thalia off her feet, spinning in a circle. "You look beautiful."

"Come on, we're gonna be late," she said softly. Pressing a kiss between her eyebrows, he set her down. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he replied, tucking his hands on his pockets. "See you later."

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Zeke grinned.

"Yeah," Thalia replied uneasily. "Where to first?"

"Your meet-up." Zeke grabbed the keys. "Mister Quinn insisted."

"Dad..."

"I want to make sure that you are fine."

"Dad!"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, don't even try to argue with me." Ian stared her down, and she met his blue steel gaze, holding the intense glare until he faltered. "Coulson filled me in, and as much as I despise you dating Donnie, I'd rather have you with him--" Ian nodded his head towards Donnie, "--than with some fool from Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy."

"And you, Ian Crawford Quinn, can quit being a stick in the mud. While I appreciate the fact that I have a family again, I want to exercise distance." She drew closer. "And maybe have a family of my own someday," she whispered softly. "Surely I can be granted a little space to grow."

"Sweetheart, you're five foot four and weigh a hundred and twenty-eight pounds. You're done growing."

"Dad, I'm serious."

"Why? It's not like I'm expecting grandchildren."

She gasped softly, her eyes beginning to moisten as she stomped outside. Following after her, she jammed earbuds into her ears, cutting her off from him. He sighed, climbing into the backseat as she took the front seat. "Would you talk to her?" Ian asked Donnie, who only shrugged. "What's that for?"

"You really pissed her off." Donnie buckled his seat belt. "And your comment, believe it or not, was really far below the belt in her book. You know why? She thinks that she's a  _monster_  because she can't have children, and you mocked her for wanting space so she could eventually start a family. That basically smothered any efforts of mine to help her come to terms with it and instead just made it worse." He plugged in his earbuds. "I'm not apologizing for you. I've made that quite clear."

"What do I do?"

Donnie snorted derisively. "Get her chocolate. Since you're more a fan of buying people off instead of talking to them."  
~G.A.M.E.~

Jumping from the car, Thalia pulled her hair behind her. "Thalia, please listen to me," Ian begged, but she kept her back turned. "I'm sorry."

"You're not," she whispered, walking away from the car and towards the small coffee shop. "If you were, you wouldn't say it."

Shutting the door behind her, she sank into a chair, pressing a hand to the soft skin of her stomach. Squeezing her eyes shut, she heard a  _whoosh_  of air; opening her eyes, she saw a coffee cup with the name Sam written haphazardly on the side. "Is this seat taken?"

Looking up, Sam's familiar face read a questioning expression. "Oh, it's you."

He slid into the booth opposite of her. "What's wrong?"

"I had a bit of a fight with my dad." She brought the steaming cup of coffee towards her nose, detecting small drifts of cinnamon and chocolate. "What is this?"

"Believe me, I got hell for it," Sam chuckled. "It's cinnamon-infused coffee with chocolate. The barista was like, 'I'm refusing to make it.'" He leaned in. "I had to tell him it was for you."

"Well thank you." She sniffled, taking a sip of the beverage. When Sam raised an eyebrow, she said, "I'm not talking about it."

"Sorry." He sat back. "You know, the gang misses you."

"They do?"

"Yeah. Ava misses you the most; she was the only girl on the team."

"Can't you guys come to California?"

"Danny probably could. Pete can't, Luke can't and Ava can't."

"Could I--"

"It's a Coulson thing. Hydra is still being hunted down, so the last thing he wants is us getting caught out of our element. He said that to all of us when they found Donnie."

Thalia felt her cheeks redden. "I guess Anna was pretty obsessive over him, wasn't she?"

"Drove Peter  _insane_ ," Sam laughed. "He kept saying, "Crawford, if you don't shut up, I'll make you!' right as he would try to shoot a gob of webbing at your mouth. He hit Luke once and ended up getting pummeled." Sam still smiled. "I really wish you could remember all the good stuff. You were always so happy and passionate about science, like Peter. Actually, Peter had a stick up his ass most the time so he was really moody and sarcastic. But you managed to get him to be nice to people at times. You had that effect on all of us."

"So," Thalia straightened in her seat. "Tell me about this drink. For some odd reason it's amazing."

"A dare from Luke and Danny," Sam chortled. "They were doing that stupid cinnamon challenge and dared you to do it, so you downed a tablespoon of it. Then you mixed it with coffee, made the coffee and balanced out the spicy, bitter flavor with chocolate. Apparently it was revolutionary even though nobody else liked it." She leaned against the wall. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," she choked. "It's just-- I was fighting with my dad, and I wanted to know... Did you know about Anna's..?"

"Yeah, if I'm being perfectly honest and blunt, I do. Her periods would skip months at a time and nobody knew why. Until the circumstances behind her origins came to light. Her half-human nature often made her have irregularities and rendered her infertile. Which she didn't really care about, on the surface, because she said she was never really adamant about the topic; but I knew it bugged her." Sam squeezed the cup. "Is it bugging you?"

She bit down on her lips, nodding. He reached across the table, taking her hand. "Anna does have one thing I don't."

"What?"

"She had the ability to not care."

"Don't say that. There is something that could fix it. Something about genes."

"Yeah," Thalia pulled her hand from his, "altered genes can meet my own at a halfway point. I figured it out a few months ago."

"Like Donnie's, maybe?"

"His cells create small amounts of nitrogen as the result of a experiment. It's crossed my mind a few times, but I'm not gonna stick him and see if it's possible." She wiped her nose. "It's all but proper."

"You know, Anna would be so fascinated with you. If she needed samples for an experiment, she had no problems using her badge to obtain live cultures of insane, deadly viruses." He carefully sipped his coffee before chuckling. "Whereas you can't draw your boyfriend's blood without his permission."

"You speak like Anna is a completely different person."

"She was," Sam shrugged. "She was the kind of 'in your face with her knowledge' person, and you're more 'I could definitely kill you if you endanger any part of my well-being'. Including Donnie." Thalia looked down, and Sam clicked his tongue, tilting her chin up. "Anna did the same thing, she would say I was a part of her well-being, so you aren't alone."

She smiled, her mouth opening to form words when the panel of glass next to her shattered. Immediately, Sam pulled her from the chair, barrel rolling to the floor. "And here I thought this would be a peaceful meeting of diplomats," he joked.

"Now? You joke  _now_ when we are being shot at?" Thalia yelped as he dragged them away from the open window. As another bullet whizzed through the air, striking the wall next to them, Sam pulled them into the bathroom. "What was that?"

"Stay here," Sam said quickly, pulling his helmet from his backpack. "I'll hold them off."

"Like hell you will," she replied angrily, balling her hands into fists. A storm began swirling around her head as she said, "There are people out there that are going to get hurt."

"They're here for you!"

"Well then it won't be me they're getting."  
~*~

_"In response to the sudden Hydra attack of a local cafe, the police were greeted with the appearances of what appears to be two superheroes, one who is confirmed to be the Nova and an unnamed girl who is turning people into ice."_ The reporter turned to facebehind her _. "Many new superhuman people have emerged since the Battle of New York, but none so far have been of such young age and taking on such sheer numbers of enemy man and firepower_ \--"

"Coulson, what are our orders?!" Skye yelled into the comm. "There's Hydra  _everywhere_!"

"Snipe them from the rooftop, do not be seen!" He replied, watching the news. "Remember that there are also civilians down there."

"Yes sir."

May entered the room. "This was her move," Coulson said to her. "Bringing us a firefight."

"Or a body," she crossed her arms. "Hyde had her host body delivered to us this morning."

"Remember what Donnie said? She uses dead bodies to become corporeal."

"I had a Cage bracelet put on it."

"Not a lot of good it did there, I'm afraid."

May took a step back as Hyde entered the room. "I see you had an electromagnetic shielding bracelet put on my body. Futile as it was, I appreciate that you were respectful of my wishes. Thank you for safeguarding my body."

"Where did you get it?"

"It's a funny story, actually." Christina took a seat. "When I was expelled from my first host's body, this one had just died from an aneurysm. I woke up naked and cold, a feeling I'd never felt before, and found the closest base I could, but to my surprise it was a Hydra base.

"And they were intrigued," she said with surprise. "A woman recently pronounced dead on their doorstep? I spent a week there, being poked and prodded at by extremely gifted scientists who had not the slightest clue how I was what I was." She picked up a pen, letting it float above her hand. "I was trained, to use my abilities, same as Donnie and Thalia. But on two different sides of the same fence. Granted, he likes being on both sides--" she smiled, "--but ultimately, it came down to him or her."

"You have Thalia's abilities?"

"And at around the same caliber of knowledge when it comes to my abilities. Except I'm not as divine as she is." She laughed. "Don't be sour, Coulson. I'm not hitting on her."

"You've been playing with our heads."

"True," Christina nodded, "but always for a purpose. For example, the significance of this game hinges on the knowledge of the Inhumans."

"You think this is a game?"

"It's always a game," Christina replied nonchalantly. "It's either play or be played."

"So you play God?"

"I have the power to bring people back from the dead. That doesn't make me God, it makes me a necromancer." As she spun her pen, she added, "What you do,  _that's_ playing God. Choosing who gets to live based on how useful to you they are? You almost killed a young boy because of that."

Coming up behind her, May locked a Cage bracelet around Christina's wrist. "Your reign of terror is done for."

Looking up, she smiled as they heard a brief explosion. "Yes, it is."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Coming to a stop, Thalia scanned her surroundings. With gunfire to her back, she continued down the street, away from the violence. "Hey!"

Stopping, she turned around, seeing a man with a knife in his hand. "Not right now," she rolled her eyes. "I'm not in the mood. So just...  _Walk away_."

"You can't do that!" Sam yelled, knocking the man to his feet. "They aren't gonna listen to you!"

"Like hell he won't," she snorted. Turning to the Hydra operative, she said boredly, "Go away."

He went still, slowly getting to his feet and shuffling away from her. Sam slowly floated down to the ground. "What was that?"

"Something about synchronizing bioelectricity with his. In all actuality, Donnie could explain it better than I could, considering he discovered I had the ability."

"To  _brainwash_  people?" Thalia shrugged her shoulders. "Then you realize now Hydra knows what you can do."

"They can't brainwash me anyways," she said quietly. "So moot point."

"You brainwash people!"

"I do not!" Thalia snarled, spinning around. "The only person I have ever used it on knowingly was to erase Donnie's memories of being brainwashed! No-one else!"

"Where's Skye?" Sam asked, looking up. "Coulson said she isn't answering. Neither are the other agents."

"I'll find her," she muttered, searching the area. Locking onto Skye's familiar brain activity, she paused. "I got her. You're on cleanup. Find our stuff."

"You know, you as Thalia suck at the whole superhero gig."

"Why thank you for stating the obvious, Watson," she drawled sarcastically. "I remember saying myself, 'I would not be good as a superhero.'" She laughed. "I'd probably be a good supervillain, should it ever come to it."

"Let me just pray to Jesus up above that I won't have to find out."

"See you in a bit," she called out as he flew away, following the faint trail back to the cafe. "Why here?"

Passing the knocked over furniture, Thalia continued down the hall, finding an unlocked door that went downwards. As she began the descent, the snow began melting away, evaporating as the room went dark. Sensing something coming towards her, a pulse of energy erupted from her body, making the lights explode; the only source of light now came from a dirty window. Skye sat a rickety table, playing with a fried comm. Stumbling down the stairs, Thalia looked down at her hands, unable to sense any electricity around her.  _Why?_

"You know that pulse of energy just fried any electronics we had."

"Coulson was looking for you." Thalia approached the table, and Skye winced, moving away. "What happened?"

"It hurts."

"What does?"

Without warning, Thalia heard an gunshot and suddenly felt a burning pain in her stomach. Making a strangled noise, she looked down and pressed a hand to her stomach, feeling it grow wet with blood. She looked up at the older woman in surprise. "You know, I was in your position once," Skye said, standing. "Standing there dumbstruck with a bullet in my stomach. Looking down the barrel of the gun that fired and seeing  _you_. Well, not you exactly."

Pain burned every nerve in her body as she began gasping for air, the taste of copper strong as blood slowly moistened her dry mouth. "He shot me, in many of the same circumstances we're in now. But as I looked up at him, I could tell he didn't want to. He saw  _you_  in me. Innocent in the grand scheme of things. Yet we still pulled the trigger, still watched each other bleed." Skye took a few steps forward, catching Thalia as her knees buckled. "And he held me like this, cradling my bleeding body in his arms like he would a child. And then..." Skye pressed the muzzle of the gun against her stomach, firing the gun again and feeling Thalia jerk against her, her breath shuddering. "He carefully arranged me on the floor, like a doll. Even had the nerve to apologize to me, claiming he had orders, orders I foolishly assumed had dastardly consequences if they didn't get followed."

Slowly she laid Thalia out on the floor. "And I was like you, once." Skye stroked her face, pale with sweat and blood around her mouth. Standing, Skye turned around and Thalia flexed her fingers, whimpering in pain when the bullets didn't move. "Except I was human; I wouldn't heal. And now, neither will you."

Thalia began choking on blood as Skye ascended the stairs. She wasn't sure of how long it was since the door slammed, but the feeling began to fade from her fingers and toes. Looking down at her stomach, it was a mess of fabric and blood, and she gagged, feeling a fresh wave of burning pain wrack her stomach. "H-help..." she called out weakly, slowly inching across the floor. "Help..." As the blood loss was finally getting to her head, the room started blurring in front of her, her fingertips losing their feeling. "Help.." she said softly, losing her determination and going limp. On the brink of consciousness, she could hear the roar of her quick heartbeat in her ears, trying frantically to match the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Oh no," a gruff voice said, panic creeping into the person's voice. "Thalia, this is Ward. I'm gonna try and stop the bleeding."

"Lost..." she trailed off, coming back to her point. "A lot..."

"You're bleeding a lot and you're in shock, but you're gonna be okay," he said quickly. "Are you healing?"

"No..."

"Why not?" When she didn't respond, he began shaking her. "Thalia, why aren't you healing?"

"Can't... Bullets still inside..."

"Thalia, you're tachycardic and losing a lot of blood fast. I'm gonna have to move you. Can I do that?"

"Bad..."

"Well bad will let you live." As he lifted her into his arms, she wheezed, her nails biting into his shoulder. She let out a painful wheeze again as more blood began to gush from the wounds. Setting her down, Ward propped her up against the stairs. "Get help," she mumbled, her head growing heavy. "Go get..." she sagged against the stairs, "help..."

"Hey, stay awake," he snapped his fingers in front of her face. "I still owe you a debt."

"Not for very much longer, I'm afraid," she tried to laugh, but ended up coughing up blood. Ward wiped it away.

"I took your life away, and I'll be damned if I can't save it." Taking out his gun, he pointed it up at the door, firing off a round of bullets. He looked up, expecting someone to show. When no-one did, he looked down at her, her eyes closed. Pressing his fingers to her neck, he quickly picked her up, hurrying up the stairs. "Someone help!" He yelled. Bursting out the front door, he attracted the attention of a few EMTs. He looked down at her, her eyes beginning to glaze over. "Hey, almost there. Can you stay awake for a little longer?"

"I'm not sure..." she said softly, going motionless soon after.

"No, no, Thalia, look at me," he shook her softly. "Come on, just a few more feet," he promised, laying her out on the stretcher. "I can't get her to wake up."

"She needs to be stabilized here," one EMT said. "She's lost far too much blood to make the journey."

"We don't have time to argue," Sam snapped, startling everyone. "She's going to die if she doesn't get to the hospital, now." Flying higher up in the air, he said, "I'll let them know you're coming."

~*~

"You're here because you tried putting a gun to my daughter's head."

"And you kidnapped my son. It seems like we are at an impasse."

"It'd be an impasse if I  _actually_ wanted to go with you. Yet here we are." Donnie shook his head. "And I'm eighteen. It's not even kidnapping!"

Drew fell silent, turning away from them. "Drew, listen to me," Ian urged. "I know you wouldn't hurt Thalia. Not when she's close to him. Because if you did, you might as well be having Donnie promise you he will never see you again."

"I wouldn't hurt her," he said softly. "Not when she's close to my boy."

"Since when has he given a damn about me?" Donnie asked Ian. "He dislocated my shoulder in a drunken rage!"

"I wouldn't hurt her," Drew repeated. "But someone else would."

"What does that mean?" Ian asked Drew. "Drew, what does that mean?"

"It means I wouldn't hurt her," he replied distantly. "But someone else would."

A police officer knocked on the door. "Excuse me gentlemen, but you two might want to see this," the police officer said. Passing a tablet into the room, a news reporter looked frantic. "Your daughter's name showed up in the news."

Donnie took the tablet, his heart rate kicking up a few paces at the words _Terrorist Attack_ _._

" _After what appeared to be an EMP, this random attack from Hydra turned into what was a smokescreen for a hidden assassination attempt as ambulances were called for civilian casualties and the attempted assassination of Thalia Quinn. She is reported to be in rapidly deteriorating condition, suffering from two gunshot wounds to the stomach and losing massive amounts of blood. She was rushed to the hospital immediately, but it is unclear if she will make it_."

Time slowed down. Involuntarily, ice began to form under his fingertips, slowly spreading across the back of the tablet. "Take us to the hospital," Ian took the tablet from Donnie's unmoving hands, slamming it down on the table. "Now."

~*~

As Christina made herself a cup of tea, she stirred her spoon around the cup. "Could you be so kind as to pass me the sugar, Agent Coulson?" Sliding the jar towards her, she placed a few spoonfuls in her cup, mixing them in when she looked up. "You have an incoming call, sir. Wonder where she's been?"

Answering the call, he heard Skye's frantic hyperventilating. "Coulson, I can't remember anything!"

"What do you mean?"

"I remember standing on the rooftop and then Hydra attacked and everything went dark. I just woke up in the restaurant and my hands are covered in blood. I think I shot her!"

" _What_?" Coulson frowned deeply. "Skye, what are you talking about?"

"Sam said he was following her ambulance to the hospital..." Skye broke down sobbing. "He said someone shot her twice in the stomach and left her to die. I think I did it!"

"Skye, listen to me," May said. "Do not wash your hands. Come back here as fast as you can so we can test the blood. I'm sure Ian and Donnie are on their way to the hospital as we speak. Do not go to them. That's another bloodbath waiting to happen."

"O-okay," she shakily replied. "I'm on my way."

When he hung up, Coulson turned to Christina. "This was you, wasn't it?"

"What would you mean by that?" she asked, placing her cup down. "I've been here the whole time."

"Don't play coy with me, Christina," he spat. "You made Skye shoot Thalia."

She clucked her tongue. "Tut tut, remember what I said? I don't play God."

"Stop lying!" He brought his fist down on the table. "I know what you can do!"

"While it is true that I can...persuade people to my will, telling her to do something  _so far_  against her morals as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent will just not happen. However..." Christina stood, smoothing down her dress. "Have you allowed it to cross your painfully narrow minds that I quite possibly didn't tell her to do it at all? After all, the pain that girl suffered at the hands of Thalia's father doesn't just go away."

"You're suggesting she lied to us?"

"Well she lied to you about her abilities, I don't doubt in the least that some percentage of her being was telling her that it was tired of watching Ian Quinn live happy with his daughter when she not only nearly lost her life, but didn't have a family to live happily with." She stopped pacing. "No offense to you, of course."

"So?"

"So, as I said once before, there's the possibility I didn't influence her actions at all." Skye entered the room. "Oh good Lord, what happened to you, dear?" Christina helped her sit, offering her the cup of tea. "You look like a shaking mess."

Skye shook her head, and Christina pushed the cup away. "Here, my hands," Skye held her hands out. They were speckled with blood. Christina took one, examining it and watching it as her hands started to frost over.

"Does Thalia's blood tend to frost if meeting the outside environment?"

"I don't know," Coulson replied, clearly shocked. "Christina, sit down."

Skye looked up. Suddenly she was pointing her gun at the red head, the muzzle stained with blood. Her hands were shaking so much that the gun began vibrating, falling apart in her hands. "Oh dear," Christina pouted. "Why don't you tell us what happened?"

~G.A.M.E.~

Moving around in the chair again, Donnie nervously tapped his foot, casting nervous glances at the clock. Ian stood up, pacing again, his eyes trained on the double doors. They opened, and a nurse entered the room. "Ian Quinn?"

Both Ian and Donnie rushed forward, anxiously waiting for the news. "Well? How is she?"

"Not so good," the nurse answered. "Whoever did this, the attempt was supposed to kill her."

Ian let out a silent sob. The nurse continued. "The gunshots were very damaging; they perforated her stomach and penetrated both her small and large intestines. We did what we could, but the damage and blood loss were too extreme for her."

"What do we do?"

"We can keep her comfortable," the nurse paused, "but you'll need to decide if you want to keep her on life-support." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Donnie felt his heart beat faster, his stomach beginning to churn. "Can we see her?"

"Immediate family only," she told Donnie wistfully.

"He's my daughter's fiancé. That makes him family." Ian held his ground as the nurse led them to to her room. Thalia looked tiny amidst the medical equipment; IVs running through her arms, hooked up to breathing machines. With her hands placed at her sides, she "slept" soundly, her blood-streaked features relaxed.

Closing the door behind him, Donnie pulled up a chair next to her bed, taking her hand. When nothing happened, he squeezed her hand tighter, pressing his lips to her knuckles. "She's alive. That's more than she said she'd be." He turned to see Ward. He looked awful; blood streaked him from head to toe. "I was there."

Donnie felt a lump form in his throat. "I wasn't."

"That wasn't your fault," Ward said. "It was the shooter's fault. I remember feeling the same way when Skye was diagnosed with similar."

Ian stiffened, turning to face Ward. "Skye suffered similar injuries?"

"She lost significantly less blood because of her transport via hyperbaric chamber, but yes. Perforated stomach, penetrated intestines. The only difference is she was given the miracle that both Garrett and Coulson got. Thalia, however..."

Immediately, he stood, stomping out of the room. Ward and Donnie looked at each other, then to the empty doorway. Donnie spoke first. "You don't think he..?"

"Thinks she did it?" Ward shrugged. "Could be. But it smells weird. Skye adored Thalia."

"Why are you here?" Donnie asked. "Last I remember, you kidnapped her when she was eight and virtually ended life for heras she knew it."

"I owe her a debt." Ward leaned against the wall. "And making sure she lives is a very small part of it."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Blood came back," May said, drawing the audience. "It was Thalia's."

Skye broke down sobbing again, scrubbing her hands across each other. Christina leaned over, stroking her hair. "I'm sorry, dear." She removed her hand, and Skye quickly tried to flee.

"Skye, _sit down,_ " Coulson ordered. "Christina Hyde, you monster."

"I never said she shot that poor girl, I said it was possible if she did she did it without me persuading her otherwise." She tilted her head to the side. "But this is a true masterpiece."

Coulson sneered. "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't lie when I said that I didn't completely persuade her." Christina laughed cruelly. "But that was too tempting to pass up. A little fact, Phil. She dreams of inflicting the same pain on him that he did on her. Takes pleasure when she inflicts it on him in her dreams. So I wasn't lying when I said I didn't persuade her. All it took was a little whisper. 'There's already so much chaos here' and 'they'll blame Hydra', but you forget. Two of the biggest and brightest minds you've ever seen already know my moves. They just don't know it's me behind the curtain."

"Get a shielding cell set up."

"No need," Christina smiled. "I go of my own free will."

"You act like a real Phillip Masters, don't you?" Coulson crossed his arms. "Molding us into your little puppets? Being Puppeteer?"

"Coulson, please." Christina pouted her lips. "I outgrew dolls years ago."

~*~

Falling asleep, Donnie felt a hand smooth over his shoulder. He cracked open an eye, and a nurse smiled sympathetically. "You're very tired. Why don't you go home and get some sleep?"

"She is my home," he mumbled softly, drifting back off to sleep. Ian entered the room.

"How's everything?"

"I tried telling her fiancé to go home, but he refuses to leave her side."

"Hasn't since day one," Ian smiled. When the nurse left, he hung in the doorway, smiling at the bittersweet scene.

_"She's a quiet little girl," the nurse said softly. "Have you decided on a name yet?"_

_"Thalia." The nurse beamed as Ian took little infant Thalia in his arms. "Thalia Lorelei Quinn."_

_The nurse smiled. Taking Thalia from Ian's arms, she grabbed a bottle, offering it to the dark haired infant; she smiled again when Thalia took the bottle greedily. "Ooh, she's hungry. I'll take her to see her mommy while you fill out her birth certificate. How's that sound?"_

_"Sure." Ian took the formal piece of blue paper, reaching the 'Q' when he heard, "Miss Incantare?"_

_When he finished, he placed her certificate on Thalia's crib when the nurse reentered. "She's gone!"_

_"What?"_

_"Miss Incantare's gone!"_

_At the sound of the nurse's panicked tone, Thalia began crying. "Shh, shh," Ian soothed her, taking her from the nurse's arms. "It's okay." He rocked her in his arms, looking at her as she stopped crying and instead looked at him, her infant blue eyes watching him until they slowly drooped closed. "It's okay," he whispered to her. "Daddy's got you."_

Looking at Thalia, he briefly smiled at Donnie's fingers laced with hers, even in his asleep and oddly perched in a very uncomfortable hospital chair state. Approaching the opposite side of her bed, he moved her hair off her temple, pressing his lips against her forehead. "It's okay," he said softly, his throat closing up. "Daddy's got you."

~G.A.M.E.~

Waking up, Donnie looked around the hospital room, realizing the events of the day previous weren't hallucinations of his worst fears. Straightening himself in the chair, he pulled his hand from Thalia's grip to rub his neck, hoping to massage the crick away. Ducking into the small bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face, wetting a paper towel down and returning to the room, moving the tubes to wash her face. Hearing a knock, he turned around, seeing a red haired woman in a sharp business suit. "Who are you looking for?"

The woman pointed her finger at him. "You're the fiancé, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry, I just woke up," Donnie yawned. "Who are you?"

"I'm so sorry, how rude of me," the woman said. "My name is Pepper--"

"Pepper Potts?"

"That'd be me," she admitted. "I came as soon as I heard."

"I didn't realize that Thalia had such a large fan base across the country."

"The science community went absolutely nuts when she resurfaced. The daughter of a pioneer in chemical engineering is no small thing to shirk off, especially when she surpasses her own father's intelligence." Pepper timidly entered the room. "So how did you two meet?"

"It's a long story," Donnie chuckled, gently dragging the paper towel across the underside of Thalia's lip. "She was hit by a car."

"Oh my God," Pepper said in awe.

"And she was bleeding a lot, internally," he elaborated, "so when we got to the hospital, I donated some of my blood to her. When she woke up from her coma, we met."

"That sounds so sweet and thoughtful. If I do say so myself." She gave him a box. "Here. A gift."

He examined the box closely. "From who?"

"When I heard, I told Tony and he made it. He said it was a length he wasn't comfortable going to considering he didn't know her, but he found her S.H.I.E.L.D. file and instantly changed his mind."

"Why?"

"When Hydra took over... I assume you know this, so I'll skip it. He pulled her file off the internet and read about what they did, Hydra. They made her hurt a lot like him, so in a way, I guess, he felt sympathetic."

"Oh." He placed the box on the bedside table. "Well, thank you."

"Not a problem," Pepper waved a hand. "I gotta go. My plane's leaving soon."

As she left, Ian returned. "I asked the hospital if we could move her and the equipment back to the house and they denied."

"Why?"

"Because apparently 'since nobody has attempted to threaten her life in the hospital, we cannot oblige the request'. Do they not realize who she is?"

"Mister Quinn, they know very well who she is. You've made that quite clear." Donnie yawned again. "Can we go back to the house? I need a shower, a decent change of clothes and some decent food and I'm not getting any of that here."

"Sure." Ian looked outside the room. "Zeke," he called, "we are leaving for a little bit. Watch her for me."

"Can do, boss man," Zeke nodded, sitting inside the room. "I know it seems really unlikely, but do you want me to call you if she does anything?"

Ian stopped. "Yes, Zeke." He turned to Donnie. "So, let's go."

~*~

_Sitting in a living room chair, she read a book contently, looking over the top of her book to see Donnie sprawled out on the couch, his arms above him wrapped around the pillow behind him. He mumbled softly, causing her to smile as she returned to the pages. As the words began to slip off the page, she furrowed her brow, looking up as Zeke approached her. "You know, Miss Quinn, your father is very worried about you."_

_"Why would he be?" She stood. "I'm fine."_

_"Both Donnie and your dad were at your bedside. And I saw Mister Quinn do something I've never seen him do before. He actually called Donnie your fiancé so he could see you."_

_She paused. "What?"_

_"It was shocking to me, honestly. In the time I've worked for your dad, he's_ never  _done that for anyone. Ever." Zeke grinned. "That kid must have seriously grown on him."_

_Bending down to the side of the couch, she stroked Donnie's face, kissing his forehead. "He's grown on a lot of us," she said softly. Standing, the room began warping and changing around her. "Zeke? What's happening?" Looking behind him, she felt her heart skyrocket when Skye came up behind him. "Zeke!"_

_A gunshot went off, echoing around her as Zeke fell. "Zeke!" She turned, seeing Coulson, May, Simmons, Fitz and Ward all surrounding her in broken, bloody pile, with Donnie at her feet. "Donnie, no!"_

_Anger began making her hands spark, and she stood, throwing her hands out._

~G.A.M.E.~

Exiting the elevator, the first thing he saw was a body flying backwards out of a room, shattering upon hitting the wall. Running down the hall, Ian was met with Zeke panting, pressing a hand to his arm. "What happened?"

"She tried to shoot," Zeke panted, "and Thalia started to flat line, so I called a nurse, and he tried to shoot Thalia but the--" Zeke gulped. "And Thalia  _woke up_ , and she  _froze_ the shooter--"

"Thalia's  _awake_?"

"Not anymore," Zeke stood. "I left to get some coffee, and came back to this weird guy  pointing a gun at Miss Quinn. I took the first one, but then he shot again and they all just started going everywhere and somewhere in this she woke up, attacking the shooter and actually  _freezing_ him. Then she threw him out, and collapsed." Zeke pressed a towel to his arm. "All her stitches popped so they wheeled her back into surgery."

"Donnie crashed back home and hasn't woken up, so I just left him there."

"He's garnered quite the sympathy card with most of the people here," Zeke laughed. "Even had Pepper Potts as a guest this morning."

" _Pepper Potts_? As in CEO of Stark Industries Pepper Potts?"

"I wouldn't put too much thought into it, Ian." Zeke winced. "She wanted to know how they met. Apparently we're still going with the hit and run story."

"Well at least Donnie's socializing." Ian rolled his eyes, sighing heavily and pressing his hand to his head. "And here I am, looking for a silver lining. My daughter was the victim of an attempted assassination and here I am, pleased that her fake fiancé is socializing with people."

"You know, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to get an engagement ring. I don't doubt that either of them would reject the idea, and since you are so against anyone else being close to Thalia except for him, it would make sense." Zeke took a seat. "Ian, I'm being serious."

"I know you are, it's just..."

"Just what? Is it the idea of Thalia being engaged that bothers you? Because she and her fiancé already live with you. Or is it because she's eighteen? Because she's legally an adult. If your complaints fall in either of those categories, I'm going to tell you the exact same thing I said just now."

Ian frowned, sighing a sigh of deep resignation. "I'll be back."

"Yeah, I thought you'd say that."

~*~

"She's dead?" Christina said softly. "You killed that poor girl."

"Get out of my head."

Christina looked up at May. "Is that why you never wanted children after Bahrain?" she asked. "Because of what happened?"

May looked down. "It hurt me too much."

"I understand. In a world like this, you couldn't bear bringing a child into the world knowing what you were capable of. Killing such innocence, as corrupted as it was." Christina pressed her back into the wall. "Can I tell you something? You must promise you won't tell Phil."

When May looked up at her, she said, "I promise."

Christina pressed her hand against her stomach. "My original body was pregnant once before. She had difficulty conceiving, so when she found out she was pregnant, she was absolutely ecstatic. However, she couldn't tell the father of the child, so she kept it to herself; I could tell she didn't care, because she was too happy. And she was so happy; I could feel it radiating from every pore. She took the vitamins every day, nurtured the growing baby inside her.

"But about two months later, her body rejected the baby, and she miscarried." May watched as Christina began to cry. "And she was so heartbroken. She cried endlessly, thinking herself to be a monster because her body aborted the unborn child. That even with her body under her complete control, it did this one thing without her consent and killed someone. Because of this one thing, she blamed herself for killing the baby. Soon after, she tried cutting her uterus out, convincing herself of this poisonous idea that she was unfit to be a mother because she couldn't bear the idea of losing another baby. Watching something like that happen will be forever etched into my memory."

"It seems a bit extreme that she went to those ends."

"She was heartbroken, Melinda," Christina said simply. "Doctors had told her she would probably never have children, and when she miscarried, it confirmed some twisted idea in her head." She dragged her fingers under her eyes, wiping away the black-tinged tears. "I never knew what she had thought of herself in that way. She had the ability to shield her thoughts from me. But I always assumed that she was like this because she thought her birth parents abandoned her because she wasn't perfect."

"What happened next?"

"The father found her, and when she saw him, her hand slipped and perforated it in the process. When they got to the hospital, the doctor there told her that the perforation was going to form scar tissue in some vital places, making it impossible for her to get pregnant. That day, a kind of melancholic happiness filled her: she would never hurt another child again." Christina sniffled. "And a few weeks after that, she went down and I woke up in this body." She leaned her head against the cell wall. "I haven't seen her since."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you saying that?" Christina asked bitterly. "I'm the bad guy. I don't deserve sympathy."

"You watched a woman mutilate herself because she thought she was a monster."

"And I didn't stop her," Christina snapped. "Why am I receiving your condolences?"

"Because you are a disembodied entity that has experienced as much pain and suffering as the rest of us. Perhaps more." May sat down, and Christina pressed her back into the wall, straightening herself. "Each body you're in is a whole different story of that person's life, and you live it through their memories. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy."

"The worst part is that I couldn't stop her. I couldn't take control of her long enough to make her stop, and now she's going to spend her life with the melancholic happiness that she will never bring harm to another child again. I can't redeem myself of a grave thing as such. It's too much red in the ledger."

"I have red in my ledger too, Christina," May reached across the table, taking her chilly fingers. "And we can wipe it out. Together."  
~G.A.M.E.~

"All the stitches have been replaced, but there was something quite magnificent about it," the doctor said. "The perforation in her stomach was almost healed when we went to restitch."

"What?"

"I was amazed too, Mister Quinn. She could have really fast healing and bodily systems, considering she also needed constant reapplication of the anesthesia while we stitched up her intestines."

"What about her waking up?"

"The other doctors and I did have a conversation about it, including our transfer doctor, Abbey Carroll--"

"Abbey Carroll? She was Thalia's doctor after the accident. Can I speak to her about this?"

"Of course," the doctor replied. As he rounded around the corner, Abbey's blonde hair appeared, piled on top of her head.

"Ian?"

"The other doctor told me I could talk to you on how Thalia woke up."

"In the room," she said quietly, pulling them into Thalia's room. When she was sure Thalia was asleep, she turned to him. "She wasn't awake."

"What do you mean she wasn't awake, Zeke and a nurse saw her wake up and attack an armed intruder!"

"Well technically, yes, she was awake, but she wasn't... Behind the wheel, per say." Upon his strange gaze, she began backtracking. "I did an EEG on her, due to the fact that I heard about her seizure history, and the brain activity I recorded was not her normal brain activity. This was, how do I put it, not  _her_  brain activity."

"So something possessed her to do it?"

"Could be. And when she got up and ripped her stitches, this something accelerated the healing in her stomach, which received the worst of the damage. But she will still remain heavily unconscious for the better part of a few days. While her stomach healed, her intestines need to heal  _completely_ before we can bring her out of this. Those were  _kill shots_ , Ian. She's supposed to be dead. The fact that she isn't is a miracle. And I mean for both human and Asgardian standards."

"What's that mean?"

"It means next to her needing to stay on bed rest until she's fully healed, I want to monitor what's going on with her." Abbey retied her hair. "So like you said, we're having the equipment moved to your house."

Tired mumbling started coming from the bed, and when Ian turned his head, Thalia was mumbling in her sleep. He smiled faintly. "I have to thank Lorelei for the ability of Thalia's accelerated healing."

"Accelerated healing or not, I want in on this." Abbey put her hand on Ian's shoulder. "I am the only doctor in the world right now that knows about this. There's all sorts of weird people that believe her kind exist, and if someone actually confirmed it, you can bet your ass that the entirety of every American-based intelligence agency will be on you faster than you can blink."

"I understand. Complete discretion."

"Then I'll get everything set up for the move, and I'll see you there."

Abbey left and Thalia began to mumble again, a fragmented sentence coming out with each fall of her chest. "Hey Tally," Ian said softly, and he swore he saw her head shift in his direction. "I'm taking you home."

"Dahlia..."

"Dahlia?" Ian frowned slightly. "What's a Dahlia?"

"Dahlia..."

"It's a flower that grows in Mexico," Zeke chimed in. "I saw what you got by the way. Very... Thalia-like."

"Why would she be saying that?"

"Maybe she's recalling details."

"I doubt it."

"Or maybe it's someone's name? Mister Quinn, she is under the influence of some pretty heavy duty sedatives and morphine that Abbey made specially for her. Sense isn't going to be in Thalia's repertoire for a while."

"Let's go home. I don't think Donnie will take too kindly to being woken up by strange people."

"Ian, please. That kid sleeps like the dead."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Donnie, get up!"

Rudely awakening, he opened his eyes to Zeke's evil smirk. "What?" he scowled, trying to put as much venom into his tone.

"Get up," the guard replied.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

Donnie made a growling noise in his throat, putting a pillow over his head. "Not a good enough reason."

"Not even if Thalia was here?"

He pulled himself out of bed. "Oh no, you've found my weakness; my fiancée."

"That's actually what that Mister Quinn wanted me to talk to you about. He wants to know if you two would actually be engaged."

"To actually be engaged to Thalia? I'd have absolutely no problem with it," Donnie replied. "Why do you ask?"

"And the other thing. She's coming out of her sedation while the equipment is being set up, and Ian wants you to ask while she's awake."

"Wait, what?" Donnie shook his head. "He wants me to  _propose_  to her? I thought it was supposed to be some kind of white lie so I could see her in the hospital!"

"Hey, calm down, I'm about as freaked out as you are. But seeing as how the whole thing was my idea--"

"You suggested to Ian Quinn that I propose to his daughter?"

"No, I suggested that he get a ring so everything looks legitimate, he came up with the idea that he'd rather have you two actually engaged. Of course, it's completely up to you and Thalia if you want to go through with this."

"Well don't you think that we're moving a  _bit_ quickly?"

"You two have been together for almost a half year, been through absolute hell watching each other getting bloodied and tortured, and fought the craziest of things. In some cultures, you two would be married by now."

"And in this one, the father of my fake fiancée is telling me to actually make her my real fiancée!" Donnie hissed. "Which in normal circumstances I wouldn't mind except you're forgetting the fact I'm  _eighteen years old_!"

"Who's already been to college with a degree in engineering and works for one of the richest men in the world!" Zeke shot back. "With a fiancée who's own brains are to be rivaled with those of Tony Stark! A fiancée that's been there for you through everything, has been a faithful friend and girlfriend to you, and after all the hell life has put her through, she still manages to be the sweetest person I've ever had the job of protecting. So how about you not focus on the pettiness of your argument and focus on the fact that she almost died and you almost lost your only friend?"

The two stood in silence. "You're attentive to detail."

"As any halfway decent bodyguard would. I learn about all the aspects of her life, from the fact that she has pressure points on the inside of her left elbow to the fact she had to have her last baby teeth extracted from her jaw at twelve years old because her bones were too strong to break on their own. I'm good at my job." Zeke relaxed his hand, which formed a fist. "She loves you to the ends of the earth, and as much as Ian Quinn dislikes the fact that she's grown on you so much, he likes the fact that at she at least isn't going to get her heart broken by some jerk, because you have the decency to treat her nicely."

"Hey."

Donnie turned to the door, where she was leaning against the doorjamb. "Hey, Thalia."

"I'll leave you two to talk." As Zeke carefully brushed past Donnie, he whispered, "He put it on your dresser."

"He  _what_?" he whispered back, only to have Zeke dodge out of the room. Closing the door behind her, Thalia turned on a lamp. Leaning against his desk, she pressed a hand tenderly to her stomach. "Are you in pain? I can get you some ibuprofen."

"It's odd how I'm the one that nearly died over twenty-four hours ago and yet you look like you had a brush with death himself," she said softly, running her thumbs under his eyes.

"Well you can trick people into thinking you look fine." Donnie let out a soft laugh. "I cannot, which is why I look like hell warmed over."

"I never said that, I said you look like you've been sleep skimping again."

He walked over to the dresser, examining the surface while Thalia leaned against his desk. After some searching he finally found what he was looking for: a dainty diamond ring hidden among the various shiny odds and ends on his dresser. Picking it out, he pressed it into the palm of his hand. "If anything, Thalia, I've been sleeping more, trying to convince myself that what happened to you was a dream or hallucination."

She fell quiet. "I'm sorry I scared you, lune de ma vie."

He turned around, and her head was bowed, looking down at her stomach. "One thing I absolutely adore about you is the fact that if someone suffers by something that wasn't even your fault, you apologize for it. You're in the hospital for an assassination attempt and you apologize because I lost sleep over you."

"It's a force of habit," she replied softly, yawning. Straightening herself, she pressed her hand harder against her stomach. "A bad one," she added, whimpering at the pain.

"Thalia, you need morphine if it's hurting that bad."

"I'm okay, I was just a bit rough where it needn't be." She smiled through it. "So was there any truth to this rumor I heard?"

"What rumor?"

"My dad gave you some fancy title to let you come and see me in the hospital."

"Your dad said that I was your fiancé so that I could see you in the hospital." Donnie leaned next to her. "And I was doing a lot of thinking and... Thalia I almost lost you. Again. I don't want to lose you again."

Thalia looked at him. "What are you trying to say?"

"I wanted to give you something to show you, so your dad and your bodyguard came together to get this," he opened his hand. Thalia inhaled sharply, and she turned to face him.

"Donnie..." She went wide eyed, putting a hand over her mouth. "You most certainly did not have to go that far."

"It wasn't my idea, but I realized that they were right. I want to be here, whenever I can."

"I..." Thalia began to stumble over her words. "Donnie, I don't know what to say." She rested a hand on his face. "Do you realize that this," she took the ring from his hand, "this has the ability and the absolute power to change everything. Are you sure,  _absolutely sure_ , that you want this?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "A hundred percent."

She began to blink rapidly, and her eyes began to glisten as she smiled. "Then yes." She took the ring and slid it onto her finger. "There. I'm not really sure why women get so worked up over it."

"You almost started crying, Thalia."

"I could be PMSing. You never know," she teased, doubling over in pain. He gently moved her to the bed.

"Where is it hurting?"

"My stomach," she bit out, and he pressed his hand gently against the bandage, icing the skin underneath. "Thank you."

"It'll hold until we can get downstairs," he swept her up into his arms. "Let's get you down there and hooked back up to your fancy designer drugs. Your morphine awaits!"

She kissed the front of his shoulder. "Hm. Such a considerate fiancé."

"As always."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awww, how about that? I love comments and feedback!


	26. Calm After The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a sense of accomplishment at the fact I updated two Mondays in a row. Shout out to emptyvessels for the idea from in a fake empire (I borrowed the idea and tweaked on the idea a little bit). And also, if you know, could you message me on how to mention other users? Many thanks if you do!

"Thalia's been under for days now, and not a single update from Zeke." Coulson leaned against the desk. "Why is that?"

"Ian's gone on the news accusing S.H.I.E.L.D. of her attempted assassination. As it turns out, the two missing agents were found dead and I had the gun, then the blood on my hands being Thalia's somehow leaked to the reporters and caused an absolute frenzy. Our rep managed to convince them it was me who found her and tried staunching the bleeding, but he refuses to believe it. So he's basically vilified us in the media by blaming us. That's why Zeke won't update. He doesn't know what happened, so he's gathering intel as to who was actually there in the basement with Thalia and why we're suddenly in the spotlight again." Skye let her hands fall to her sides. "That and the last message we received from him."

"What'd it say?"

"It basically said Quinn said if he found any of our agents he was going to show us exactly how he felt. Zeke's gone dark because of that."

"It seems that because of your ignorance, you've received the blame for something you didn't do," Christina began making another cup of tea. "I did say something about that once, didn't I? Ah yes, when you don't play fair, neither does the game."

Coulson looked up, his face set in a stony expression. "Coming from a Hydra operative?"

"True," she laughed. "I like your thinking. But remember, while we both know the rules, I also know what I can do on the board. Do you?"

"Why is she still walking around instead of in a cell?" Skye asked, her face falling. "She made me try to assassinate Thalia."

"Well, in a sense, you did do it. The rest was of your own free will." She picked up her cup, sipping from it. "Pardon going off topic, but you want to know something interesting I learned about this bracelet?"

He sighed. "What, Christina?"

"This bracelet, no doubt designed by our resident fear of power biochemist Jemma Simmons, was designed to act like a diode to electric-type Gifted people. But our power is often going to take the path of least resistance, as per the rules of electricity, even if it means leaving the body." As foam began to form at the corners of her mouth, she smiled. "Are you sure you know what you can do on the board, Agent Coulson?"

"Damn it, no!" Coulson jumped up, forcing her mouth open and sticking his fingers down her throat. But he was too late, and the redhead sank to the floor, her face set in an amused smirk. "Cyanide. No doubt like Bakshi; she had one implanted in one of her teeth. Then flushed it out of the tooth with her tea. Damn it!" He stood quickly, washing off his fingers in the basin. "How did we miss it?"

"Coulson, look," Skye squat down to the body, poking around the inside of Christina's mouth with a pen. "She didn't have it implanted in one of her teeth. It  _was_ one of her teeth! It must have dissolved when she drank her tea!"

"Seemingly innocent things that spark reactions like that. She does know what Thalia knows." Coulson met Skye's gaze. "She's a BioWeapons major, too."

~*~

As Ian leaned on the doorway of Thalia's new room, the glass doors on either side of her bed let evening sun stream in across the hardwood floor, creating a rich glow in the room. It was to say, at least, a cozy environment.

"Evening, Donnie," he said softly, letting the younger boy pass by him and into the room. But then he couldn't really call Donnie that anymore, with him now officially being a possible future son-in-law. The thought unknowingly made him shudder. Not knowing why, it still bothered him that Thalia was his fiancée now, but still it left him with some kind of longing. For closure or something else he couldn't tell, but slowly he could feel the answer sneaking up on him...

"Ian," Amora's stiff yet warm tone made him turn, finding the past six foot woman to be in his private space. "Excuse my sudden appearance," she bowed her head. "I only came to see her."

"I couldn't protect her, Amora," Ian said softly, a feeling of utter defeat and disappointment washing over him. "I'm sorry."

"As tragic as it was, it was foretold. Still," Amora moved to a more comfortable position against the opposite wall, "it didn't stop my cries of absolute agony from being heard. It took Julian all night to calm me." She entered the room, with Ian on her tail. "Upon other news, I witnessed her engagement to her lover." She smiled. "It gave me much delight to find that she found a love of her own." Turning, she saw Ian's expression. "And you have your drawbacks."

"I said something before her accident that I shouldn't have," Ian admitted uneasily. "I made a rather detrimental comment to her in regards to her desire to someday have children, and she hasn't spoken to me since on the subject. And now she is in deep sleep and doesn't hear a thing I say."

"You wounded her deeply with your words, Ian. In my research of her kind, half-breeds, I found that one had existed before he vanished; most likely they imprisoned him on Asgard, probably long dead by now. But that isn't the point. In mortal biology, a sperm cell is what creates the child, and since she is a female, her body already has all the necessary things to conceive a child in the egg cells, but nothing to activate them and actually make a child. It relies on strong DNA from a partner to work. And since that's not there, no child. Although I assume she knows this, hence your feeling of guilt for your broken bridge with your daughter. I can wake her up if you shall desire, so that you may speak to her and mend the bonds."

"Her doctor knows what she is and created special medicines that will make her stay asleep until she's deemed healed enough to be awake."

"Then you surely realize that all you must do is pay attention to her schedule. Thalia's healer must let her come out of this deep sleep so that she can maintain usage of her body and so she may eat. So, take a day from your work. Spend it with her. I'm sure your company of miners and chemical engineers could use the time off as well as you."

Approaching the bed, Amora bowed her head to Donnie. "Congratulations on your engagement to my niece. I look forward to having a 'nephew-in-law', is that what you call it, Ian?" When she received a nod from him, she turned back to Donnie, who was busy writing on a clipboard. "Future nephew of mine, what are you doing?"

"Thalia helps me in the lab, so since she's on bed rest until Carroll says so, I make notes on the progress of what we were building in the lab. I leave them here for her to read if I'm not here and when she wakes up for meal times, I eat with her and we talk about it."

"And what is it you are building?"

"A weather machine."

"Thalia spoke of it before. It was the item that gave you the ability of Frost Giants, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was, ma'am."

Her hair flew around her as she met Ward's gaze. "And you are the man who ripped my niece from my breast at such a young tender age."

He furrowed his brow. "To be honest, she isn't your child."

"I raised her as such!" Amora spat. "While her mother was in prison I would visit for a month or two at a time when she was an infant. And while she knows I'm not her mother, I love her as if she were my own child." Turning to Thalia, she added, "She had mild abilities as an infant to mimic people's appearances, and since Lorelei was around frequently at the time, she began to grow her hair red. Eventually it faded back to black; she looks much better with black hair."

"So under her current powers, she also inherited magicking abilities from her mother?"

"Indeed." Gently lifting Thalia's IV clad hand, she inspected the ring on her finger. "From what I gather on human culture, you propose your commitment in the form of a ring. And I can tell just from looking that this boy couldn't have acquired such an extravagant ring."

"Excellent deduction skills," Donnie readjusted his position in his seat. "Now please do me a favor and don't tell me how much it costs. With what I'm building, you would expect thousands of dollars to go into making it; I'm still working to pay back Mister Quinn for the  _first_ time when he bought the parts. And from the tense knot in my stomach, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that ring is well over three thousand dollars, so I'm gonna shut my mouth on the subject and get back to work."

"And leave so soon?" Amora smiled. "I know that as Thalia's lover, you know the schedule when she wakes up. Right?"

Donnie nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"May Ian and I stay until she awakens?" she asked. "He tells me that he had 'made a rather detrimental comment' to Thalia and wishes to apologize to her."

"Yeah, of course. She'll be awake in a little bit for dinner."

"I will not," Thalia said softly, opening her eyes and rubbing them. Easing into a sitting position, she pressed her hand against her stomach. "Carroll let me off about an hour ago because I need to get a bath and my sheets need to be washed."

Amora stepped forward, sitting next to her feet on the bed. "Hello, niece of mine."

"Hi." Thalia kept her hand on her stomach. "Not to set aside our colloquial greetings, but as a healer you wouldn't happen to have anything for pain, do you? Ibuprofen isn't enough and Miss Carroll laces my morphine with a sedative."

"Of course, I brought some with me for that reason. I figured that human means of pain relief would be minuscule in the face of your aches and pains. But there is another side to my mixture: it's supposed to take pain from full grown Asgardians, sometimes to the point of not being able to tell they're hurting themselves further. Donald, do me a favor and watch her closely after I administer this to her."

He nodded. Holding out a small vial to Thalia, she took it, downing the contents, making a sour face at the taste. "Thank you, Aunt Amora," she thanked her quickly before coughing. "Damn, that's bitter."

"Well did you expect it to taste like sweets?" She stood, allowing Thalia to get out of bed. "You should be feeling it any moment now. I must go; there is a man trying to acquire my assistance due to being attacked by a bilgesnipe." Turning to Donnie, she added, "The man will be lucky if he lives."

"Be nice, Aunt Amora." Thalia sat on the edge of the bed. "After all, as your niece and his fiancée, I say be nice to him."

"I apologize if it was misconstrued. It was a small bit of teasing on my part." Amora placed her hand on Thalia's shoulder. Everyone heard a  _pop_ followed by Amora's Norse swearing. "Odin's beard!" she held her hand, which was turning blue from cold even when it wasn't touching her. Shaking her hand, it slowly returned to normal. "Your gifts are advancing at quite the clip!"

"Good for me," Thalia replied sarcastically. "But compliments won't help me when I'm hungry."

Standing, Donnie took her hand, leading her out of the room. Amora turned to Ian. "Something is wrong with her."

"What do you mean?"

"My niece maintains extreme precision and control over her abilities. She would not purposefully do that to anyone except Donald." Amora raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what it is." Standing, she had a look of curiosity etched into her face. "Watch her for the next few weeks. I need to draw the cards, find out what this is."

"Could it be because of her injuries?"

"I'm not quite sure," Amora replied. "Although it is very possible that it could be. She has been heavily asleep for a week now. So I wouldn't expect her abilities to remain in peak condition in terms of control. But still. It is a rather unusual occurrence." Opening a portal, she stilled. "Do not worry for her health, Ian. It is on the mend. I will find the source of this."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Remember remember, the ninth of September, the first day I've had a bath in a week!" Thalia sang sarcastically, and Donnie rolled his eyes.

"You got a bath on the fourth, Thalia."

"Oh now I remember." She slipped out of her shirt. "The sponge bath that made me keep falling asleep. You were brushing my hair up into a bun to clean the back of my neck and shoulders. The way you did it with a kind of silent determination. Like you are now." Stopping him, she took his hands. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said softly, trying to pull their hands apart.

"Donnie, what's wrong?" She wove their fingers together. "Dis-moi. Qu'est-ce que c'est?"

"I'm sorry," he said softly, hugging her tightly while avoiding her stomach. "I'm so sorry she did that to you. Here I was being worried about my dad when he was just a distraction for me and your dad."

"Donnie, there was nothing you could've done."

"I could have  _been there_."

"Si cela est vrai, elle aurait pu vous blesser, trop. Alors je ne serais pas capable de vivre avec moi-même. I love you too much to subject you to that. I don't want to lose you."

He closed his eyes, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Eh bien vous n'avez pas à vous soucier de qui plus," he replied softly.

She looked up. "Vous parlez Français?"

"Only a little bit," he said softly, slowly spinning them in a circle. "I use Duolingo."

"Why do that when your fiancée is  _fluent_ in French?" she asked. "I could teach you."

"The idea did come to me," he answered, "in the form of a weird vision I had. You and me, together in bed while you would lay next to me and tell me stories, partially in English and French. And then you would tell me to tell you what you said, and if I got things wrong, you would correct me and kiss me until I got the pronunciation right."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Not too far off target. I would imagine something like that would happen. Because French  _is_ the language of love, after all. Now I need to get cleaned up." Pulling out of his arms, she began running water into the tub. "Or else Carroll will berate me for spending too much time procrastinating with my fiancé."

"She actually says that?"

"Yeah. As if I would actually take my free time and spend it with you," she replied sarcastically, shimmying out of her shorts. Noticing his shadow coming up behind her, she added, "Because it's not like you are the fiancé who has been dedicating every spare second of his time to making sure his fiancée is okay and yet I cannot do it to you because I need to worry about me." She turned around, crossing her arms over her stomach. "Even though 'me' walked away from an assassination attempt whereas my lover is only human," she sighed dramatically.

"Sometimes you make me wonder if you're being sarcastic or contrary."

"Obviously a little bit of both," she replied, feeling his arms come to rest over her hips and his lips against her shoulder. "Do you plan to join me?"

"I got an hour to kill."  
~G.A.M.E.~

"She is showing increased brain activity as a result of her accident. Which is something I don't normally see, but my best guess would have to be she's telling her body to accelerate healing, and her brain is sending out multiple signals to do so. Besides that, Thalia is showing promising signs of a full recovery. Which is something I'm particularly pleased about."

"Why would that be, Carroll?"

"I was successful in the treatment of a hybrid human which led to full recovery. In the meantime, I've been gathering information about her healing capabilities, a small piece being that the healing has a type of intelligence that suggests it will heal what would ultimately be considered a mortal wound first over other injuries. Which explains how she healed so quickly. But in studying the way the healing worked before, this time it's different. This time it healed her wounds with no backtracking. Remember April?" Ian nodded and she continued. "It began to heal at first like that, but then I noticed that the wounds weren't ripping themselves open again halfway through."

"And you consider that bad?"

"Well no, but..."

"Thalia's healer proves a point, Ian." Amora suddenly appeared. "I drew the cards for your child, and they alluded at something very big coming. Her healing factored into it."

"How so?"

"Whatever is coming for Thalia, its effects are being observed now. For example, her healing is no longer stunted." Amora pushed past them, striding down the hall. "I said to observe her for a few weeks and watch her behavior, but it turns out her cards are indicating something big is coming that is going to influence her life. I will be staying until I discover what it is."

Pushing open the door, she stopped. "Niece, should you require privacy for your moments with your betrothed, there is always a lock on the door." Stopping at the foot of the bed, she crossed her arms over her chest, regarding Thalia and Donnie laying together in bed.

"One, it's nobody's business but my own if I decide to share a private moment with my betrothed," Thalia replied sourly. "Two, we were snuggling. Is there a rule against premarital snuggling?" She pulled back the blanket back, exposing her IV. "Three, I'm hooked back up to the fancy medical gadgets and doodads. Don't you think it'd be a little difficult to be intimate when I'm hooked up to a heart monitor that alerts Carroll when my heart rate gets too high?"

Amora turned to Carroll. "Your technology does that?"

"It's connected to my phone and alerts me if her heart rate leaves the safe zone," she explained briefly, showing Amora the screen of her phone.

"Hmph. Humans." She turned back to Thalia. "Still, Thalia. I am thinking in terms of saving you humiliation of being stumbled upon if you were in the middle of--"

"Having sex with him?" Thalia plastered a sarcastic smile onto her face. "Because as I said before, kind of hard to do with a heart monitor."

Amora set her jaw, raising an eyebrow. "Do not be coarse with me."

"It's not her fault," Carroll leaped to her defense. "Thalia gets irritated when she gets hooked back up to the machinery. Enough to the point of displaying some rather biting comments and sarcasm."

"Mood swings?"

"Yes," Carroll nodded, pointing to the bed. "See? Now's she's asleep."

"Curious," Amora spoke aloud, saying what Ian thought. "Very curious. Have you stopped to consider that she could possibly be with child?"

"Pregnant?" Carroll and Ian asked together. "No. She's infertile. You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not joking." Amora shook her head, scattering her blonde hair. "I was never good at being funny. They call Loki the Trickster God for that."

Carroll cleared her throat. "With her...family history, I can't entertain the idea of her possibly being pregnant. And even if she was, I would worry that she would lose the theoretical baby and it would be entirely too cruel to suggest it. That's a particular sore spot with Thalia."

"So I heard," Amora cast a sideways look at Ian, who withered under the gaze. "Ian, will you show me to my room?"

~G.A.M.E.~

"Where are we gonna put the body?"

"Put it back in the sustaining chamber," Coulson replied offhandedly. "No doubt Christina will want it later."

"But she basically fried that body."

"It's dead now, so if she wanted to, she could reanimate it again. At this point, I'm tired of the games. She has literally played with us so much I just want her to put us away and forget about us."

"You and me both," Skye replied. The phone rang and she swept it off the cradle. "Hello?"

"You wanted information on Thalia's condition?"

"Zeke? God, you scared the hell out of us!"

"Not quite."

"Ward?"

"In the flesh." He exhaled. "So it turns out Thalia's going to make a full recovery."

"How do you know this?"

"When I was prowling around the coffee shop, wanting to try the Thalia Quinn special of cinnamon and chocolate infused coffee when I heard her calling for help from their basement. And when I went down there, I went through an instant mental rewind of when you were shot, except she held out longer and was barely conscious. I stayed by her side faithfully until the EMTs arrived and watched as S.H.I.E.L.D. fled the scene. Which was odd, because you guys are supposed to help people and protect them."

"We're supposed to--"

"Remain in the shadows?" Ward laughed humorlessly. "I learned that when I sat in the ambulance making sure she kept breathing." Switching the phone to his other hand, he added dryly, "Her fiancé remained at her side throughout the entire ordeal."

"What?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Thalia Quinn is officially engaged as of September second. People don't know who the lucky guy is, though. If it were up to me, I would say the public barely knows her so they don't need to know who he is."

"Donnie actually proposed to her?"

"Now their house has Thalia's doctor, her father, her fiancé, and her aunt."

"You still haven't told us anything useful."

"I don't need to. I'm not an informant. The only person who I'm loyal to is Thalia. She at least won't threaten to erase my memories after accepting my help."

~G.A.M.E.~

Donnie woke suddenly, sitting up and studying the room around him. Ward was next to the bed, drawing the curtains closed. "Sorry," he said softly, as to not disturb Thalia sleeping. "Paparazzi are trying to get a look inside."

"What did you mean back in the hospital?" he asked. "You owe a debt to Thalia. Why?"

"After everything fell apart and Garrett left the picture, I wanted to make amends with her." Ward leaned against the wall. "She was right in our last confrontation: I must have something seriously wrong with me if I lived normally for over a decade after kidnapping a child and trafficking her into a secret government-run agency. From what Garrett told me, Hydra did everything shy of brainwashing to try and get her to work for them. But when they resorted to brainwashing, they found out she was immune to it, even messing with the electricity and causing a blackout. Thalia Quinn is a loose cannon, and a loose cannon is a loose end to them. So now you understand why I'm here."

"To protect her from Hydra."

"Thalia is too good for this world," Ward replied. "I want to make sure she makes it to where she can make it better. An eye for an eye."

"So you're going to protect her for the next eleven years?"

"Garrett did the same for me. Thalia treated me like a person." Ward shrugged. "He helped me help myself. So I stuck by him. She helped me realize I don't have to be bad all the time. So I protect her."

"What about the bad guys?"

"What about them?"

"Her father," Donnie paused. "Me."

"She loved you enough to get engaged to you. Obviously she sees redeeming qualities in you." Donnie took her hand, and she unconsciously squeezed his in return. "You really are self-conscious, aren't you?"

"It takes a while to deprogram bad habits like that," Donnie said in response. "I didn't exactly grow up in the best environment."

Ward sat down on the couch. "Don't let something like that tell you what to do. You did pretty well so far and now your fiancée is the smartest and most beautiful teenage girl in the world."

"And now I worry it's all going to be taken away."

Ward smiled softly. "Well for the foreseeable future, you won't need to."

~*~

"Absolutely not, Miss Quinn. You were nice when you decided to replace the kid's headstone after that cemetery raid, but I cannot, repeat  _cannot_ allow you to leave the house. It goes against your doctor's orders."

"And it goes against my morals when I have to watch my fiancé suffer through not being able to see his friend buried!" Thalia replied indignantly. "They were good friends, and it destroyed him when he wasn't allowed to go to the funeral. If it was Allison, you would be the exact same way, Zeke."

"What part of 'I said no' isn't getting through your thick skull?"

"The part where I'm not allowed to go with Donnie to the damn cemetery so he can pay his respects to his friend!"

Ian and Ward entered the room. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Donnie wants to go visit Seth's grave," Thalia glared at Zeke, "and this bonehead won't let us go."

"He's doing his  _job_ , Thalia," Ian answered with an annoyed frown. "Like he's paid to do."

"Which is what? Making sure I develop bed sores?"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, sarcasm will only get you grounded."

Thalia laughed sardonically. "Really? Grounded? That's the best you can do?" She raised her eyebrows in an incredulous expression. "Are we forgetting the fact that I'm eighteen, not eight? What are you gonna do, take away my lab privileges? My ability to take a shower?"

"Don't test my patience, Thalia."

"What is this?" Amora asked sleepily, entering the room. "I heard arguing from the next room."

"Dad won't let me go with Donnie to see his dead friend."

"Ian, it is custom on my homeland that companions are allowed to give tribute to their fallen comrade."

"Well this isn't Asgard, this is California where my daughter isn't leaving this house." Ian sighed. "And Amora, put some clothes on."

She looked down at her green silk nightie, which sat high up her thighs. "I do not understand how my nightwear came into this conversation."

"Everyone's looking at you."

"Well congratulations, Ian, I garner the attention of men. Same as I do on Asgard. Do not tell me to change because you are distracted by legs." Turning to Thalia, Amora pulled her hair behind her. "Now tell me niece, what is it?"

"I want to go with Donnie to see Seth's grave. Donnie never got to go to Seth's funeral."

"Then I will go with you," she declared. "There Ian. She will have a family member with her."

"I'll go," Ward volunteered.

"And there is a blackguard, Ian. Now she has a proper group of individuals capable of protecting her."

"A blackguard?" Ward asked. "Really?"

"Is it not a title you deem accurate?" Amora sneered. "We can always list them alphabetically. How about titles that begin with 'A'?"

Each of them slowly cried out, holding their heads. Donnie wove through the crowd, an annoyed scowl set on his face. "You all are acting like children."

"My nephew is correct," Amora said with an edge of pain in her voice, clenching her jaw. "The original problem was Thalia wanted to visit her fiancé's friend's grave and now it's mortal men letting their egos get the best of them. Now, I'm taking my niece to honor her beloved's companion and her Asgardian roots. Donald, assist Thalia in getting dressed. We leave within the hour."

"You heard her. Clear out!" Donnie barked. When the group dispersed, Thalia climbed out of bed. "Whoa, Thalia. Take it slow," he said softly, kneeling in front of her and placing his hands on her knees. "Don't want to tear your stitches again."

"You gave everyone brain freezes, didn't you?"

"The arguing over what you can and can't do gets old at some point," he replied plainly. "So, any plans for what you want to wear?"

"Red. That's so paparazzi can't see my stitches ooze," she replied sarcastically. "But I am being serious. Last thing I need is the general public creating an information vacuum with Coulson. So something red."

Taking a few steps to her dresser, he pulled out a black bra and a red t-shirt. "Here." Continuing to rummage through her drawers, he produced a black pair of sweatpants. "Nothing too fancy in case your stitches ooze."

"This shirt was almost thirty dollars, Donnie."

"Yet you have no problem buying bras worth almost fifty dollars that you now hardly wear." He nodded sarcastically. "I have yet to see a worthy argument."

"First of all, everything hurts. I don't want to go to the effort of putting on a bra. And I like nice lingerie, Donnie. It's a fetish."

"So is dressing nice," he replied, "yet we're here."

"You know what?" she laughed. "You can stuff it. I dress nice. There is, without a doubt, a shirt in that closet that probably values at more than everything you're wearing."

"I said your clothes are nice, doesn't mean you dress nice." When she pouted, he laughed. "I only tease, lune de ma vie."

"That's my nickname for you, get your own."

"Come on, you need to get dressed and if we don't hurry, your aunt may just leave without us."

~*~

"It is but a brief walk from where we are now?" Amora tilted her chin up. "Most pleasant. You can mildly exercise and enjoy the fresh air before the autumn sets in. I do not prefer the season, but I enjoy the crisp air."

"You don't like fall?" Thalia looked up. "Why?"

"My favorite color is green, a color that isn't found abundantly in fall. But rather, in spring. I enjoy spring. What is your favorite season?" Amora sniggered. "Winter, no doubt."

"What's wrong with that?"

"There's no color in the season. Save for white and the colors of blue. It is a  _boring_  season!"

"Winter is my domain!" Thalia replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"As is this urban jungle." Amora nodded to the scenery around her. "Perhaps you should live in Quebec."

Pushing open the cemetery gate, Thalia stopped to press her hand against her stomach. Continuing down the walkway, she wove her path through the graves until she reached Seth's. "I found it!"

Donnie came up behind her, going quiet upon seeing the stone. "I... I can't believe it."

"It's okay," she said softly. "Take your time."

"I'm not sure I should do anything."

Turning, she nudged him towards the grave. "It's okay, lune de ma vie. I know you cared for him."

Silently, Donnie sat down with his back against the headstone. "Hey, Seth."

As Donnie began conversing with the grave, Amora leaned in close to her. "Niece, I do not understand. Were they--?"

"I think so."

Amora took off her cloak, turning it to a black inside. "We must mourn his loss properly. It would be as such back home."

As Amora began bringing out materials, Thalia sat next to Donnie. "Thank you for being nice, Thalia. He would have appreciated it."

"It's the least I could do," she replied softly. 

Thalia took Donnie's hand, squeezing it tightly as he buried his face into her shoulder. Releasing a small paper boat with a candle in it, Amora watched the boat float through the air before setting itself aflame, the ashes fluttering away in the wind. "He will be happy in Valhalla, nephew," Amora said quietly. "That much I can assure."

"Do you want to go home, Donnie?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice thick. "I've done about all I can here."

Standing, Donnie sniffled. "It's okay to be emotional, Donnie," Thalia said softly. "You two were close."

"Can we talk about it later?" he asked hoarsely. "I feel exposed out here."

She nodded, linking her arm with his. "Come on."

~G.A.M.E.~

Shutting the door, Thalia leaned against the wall. "Is it okay to talk about now? Or did you mean later?"

"I'd rather not talk about it at all."

"Donnie, you can't always bottle things up. Because then you break at the slightest crack in the glass. It's not fair to you."

"Or you. And yet here I am, not listening."

"Donnie, I don't care that you had a boyfriend. Not a single bit. Would I be wearing a ring if I did?" She sat down. "Lune de ma vie, don't shut me out."

"I tried so hard to be good for you, even to the point of  _lying_ to the both of us in an effort to start anew. But I can't. I can't talk bad about Seth when..."

"It's okay." Thalia took his hand. "He meant something to you. You don't have to go into detail."

"It's hard talking about it with you because... Because I-- But I also love you and I'm worried that I'll forget and one day-- I just don't like talking about it."

"Hey hey, look at me," Thalia put her hand on his cheek. "You shouldn't have to feel bad talking to me about it. And to prove a point, I will say this. I could care less that you kissed a dude. Really. What matters is nothing. It shouldn't matter. You do not have to feel ashamed telling your fiancée that you were in a relationship with a guy. And I will not pry if you do not want me to. What you did with Seth is your business."

He remained silent for an extended period of time, breathing heavily. Leaning forward, Thalia pressed her lips to his forehead. "Now if you don't mind, I need to change my bandages," she laughed awkwardly, standing and heading to the bathroom. Looking up, he watched as Thalia peeled away the protective bandage, grimacing at the rather large bloodstain against the white back.

"Thalia, let me look," he called out to her. She exited the bathroom, new bandages in hand. Never seeing her stomach until after the surgery, he cringed at the sight: what looked to be butterfly closures over the bullet holes. "They won't even stitch up the outsides? Why hasn't it healed already?"

She shook her head. "Stitches in my intestines have to come out first. And it hasn't healed yet because the stitches are in. But Aunt Amora told me if I were to let it heal on its own, she would have to induce something called Death Sleep, which would keep me under long enough to for my healing to repair everything. And she said that would be longer than what I'm going with now."

"Well then I'd take this, where I run the possibility of seeing your insides, than anything else," he felt a ghostly smile cross his face. Thalia looked sympathetic. "Come on. I need a flat surface."

When Thalia went still, he bent down to her stomach, taking each covering and pressing it against the wounds. "There," he said softly, standing. "All covered up."

"Thank you," she replied, pressing the heel of her hand into the bandages to further secure them. "If you want to, you can go now."

"Or..." he trailed off, kissing her. She leaned into it, then pushed him away. "What?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You're too tall!" she complained. "Before, I could keep up with your height. Now, it just pulls at everything and it  _hurts_."

"Thalia, I'm sorry," he pouted. "Do you want me to get you a step stool?"

"I am going to hit you. Hard." She pointed her finger at him. "One more short joke and you're gonna get it."

"Geez," he grumbled. "Looks like your temper is about as tall as you."

"What did I say I was gonna do?" She asked. Flicking her wrist, an icy gust of wind blew him into the chair.

"Hey!"

"And now, nothing pulls or hurts. So I could kiss you now, completely unaffected. But instead I'm not going to. Because you're being rude."

"So an apology would forgive me?"

Thalia crossed her arms. "Depends on the type."

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, I am sorry about making short jokes in your time of suffering," he drawled, standing and wrapping his arms around her. "It seems that I need to stop doing that."

"I accept your apology," she replied sincerely, kissing his chest. "Now take me to my bed, so I can rest. I am tired."

Sliding a hand under her knees, he lifted her up, cradling her close as he carried her. "You getting sleepy?"

"Well not sleepy, but tired of being on my feet," she explained lazily, feeling her cool cheek meet the warm air of the room. Goosebumps rose across her skin. "It's an almost-fatal-gunshot-wound-to-the-gut thing."

"Oh, so I get shot in the shoulder twice yet all I get is lightheaded?" Donnie rolled his eyes. "Good to know."

"I've been shot the same amount you have, you egghead," she retorted. "So shut up."

"Make me," he replied with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling smugly. "Since you are  _such_ a fan of keeping to your word."

"I am like a turtle on its back," Thalia pouted. "I cannot get up."

"I know, Thalia," he said softly, bending down to kiss her quickly. "Get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Damn. I forgot it was nighttime already. Were we at the cemetery that long?" She craned her neck to look through the window when Donnie clipped her morphine tube back onto her hand. "Donnie, I wasn't ready yet..." she slurred, the room swimming in front of her. "Donnie?"

He fastened a tube under her nose. "Yes, dear?"

"Come back when you're done," she said softly.

"I will," he replied, kissing her forehead as she sank further into the darkness. "Now get some sleep."

~*~

Waking to the annoying sound of an alarm clock, Amora sat up, flicking the off button and ceasing the machine's inane buzzing, glowering at the preposterous time of seven in the morning. The sunlight streamed in through her window, bathing her bed in a warm golden glow.

Getting dressed, she grimaced at the things laid out for her.  _Was Ian so scared of her as his behavior claimed he was?_  Asking her to not perform magic in the house or around Thalia (although to be fair, she later admitted it was her fault for telling him about Thalia's latent abilities; after all, she possessed powers of weather manipulation, which she mildly chastised herself for not realizing earlier as the young woman could create blizzards from thin air), to not perform magic around anyone unless deemed absolutely necessary. It was a travesty! Being told what to do by a mere mortal... Who also happened to be the father to her closest family. So in a sense, if she displeased him, he could forbid her from seeing her niece ever again.

Speaking (well, thinking in all technicalities) of Thalia, she drew a circle on the wall adjoining Thalia's room, chanting in a low voice the spell she wanted, and a small window formed on the wall, allowing her to look into her niece's room. As invasive the practice was, she heard strange, rather feathery noises while sleeping. At first she believed them to be a result of Thalia's night terrors, so she created Valkyrie Amulets, stringing them along the canopy of her bed to protect people from anything Thalia created in her sleep (like say, sleet or freezing cold and containing it to her bed area). Yet the noises persisted, so she peered through the window, hoping to find the source.

What she did not expect, however, was seeing her and Donnie just sleeping.

"Odin's beard..." she murmured, looking up. Above them, it snowed,  _actually snowed_. She had to give the two credit, snowing softly while they slept was something quite extraordinary; not even she, in all her power and greatness, could do something like that. But something she found gentle in the matter was Donnie's gentle kisses upon her niece's skin, swirling intricately colored frost along her shoulders.

Amora suddenly felt a new found appreciation in Donnie's sincere love of Thalia. The feeling quickly ebbed away, replaced by panic as the sound of Carroll's shoes making their  _click-click_  against the floor. Exiting her room, she halted in front of the woman, causing her to look up.

"Excuse me Amora, I need to get into Thalia's room."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible at the time."

"And why not?"

"Her door is locked!" Amora admitted with a smile. "I wanted to bring her breakfast but the door was locked when I got here."

"Well then where is the food?"

"I ate it. I figured if she didn't want it then I would eat it. After all, I wasn't going to let it go to waste." Amora frowned. "You mortals and your need not, waste all motto."

"I have a key to her door." Carroll sidestepped the tall Asgardian. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a morning vital check to do."

"Fine." Amora snorted derisively. "If you seek honesty, I shall give it to you. It was locked when I woke."

Carroll raised her eyebrow. "She's with Donnie."

"Most agreeable, healer." Amora nodded. "I would recommend not disturbing them until say, eight?"

"I will be back in this hallway at eight a.m. sharp." Carroll turned on her heel and walked off. Sighing, Amora looked to her hand, where her small window was now showing the two kiss passionately. Crushing the window in her hand, she took off for the kitchen, intent on making actual food.  
~G.A.ME.~  
"Donnie," Thalia said softly, "you don't have to..." Her eyes glazed over, closing as he kissed her again. Threading her fingers into his hair, he grabbed her forearm, pinning her right hand to the bed as he kissed and nipped on her collarbone. She laughed and strained in the restraint, only for Donnie to lace his fingers with hers and pull her arm towards him.

"I have the morning off," he kissed into her neck. "So I am going to give you, my fiancée, the best morning of your life. And besides," he kissed the delicate underside of her jaw, making her shiver. "I wasn't the one who was all for it this morning. I just went with the rhythm."

She smiled wryly. "Bullcrap, Donnie. I don't crave sex like I do chocolate. I keep it contained."

"Oh, really?"

"Note that if I was as horny as you claim I was, we would--" Thalia was then silenced by his kissing of her open mouth, his tongue teasing hers to the point of her soft whining.

"You are just as bad as I am," he mock scolded her. 

"Shut up," she replied, peppering kisses on him when she felt something shift in the air. "Donnie, someone's coming."

"It's Carroll," he mumbled softly, kissing the spot on the inside of her arm. "If she's on her way, then I better go."

_He's right, niece. Your healer wasn't happy that your sleeping interrupted her. You and your lover make excellent poetry._

Thalia went wide-eyed. _Aunt Amora? Wait, how did you know about that?_

_Your thoughts aren't very well shielded, are they?_

_Then get out of my head!_

_I wasn't in it. Any right-minded telepathic could hear you._

"Hello, Earth to Thalia," Donnie called out to her, pulling his shirt on. "I'm going now. I love you," he said, kissing her forehead before leaving the room. Sitting up in bed, she reached for her robe, the sun-warmed, silky fabric a sudden change in temperature for her skin, which puckered with goosebumps. Knocking on the door, Amora entered the room, her impressively high heels clicking against the floor.

"Good morning," Amora nodded to Thalia. "Although I can tell it was pleasant enough before."

"On that topic, I heard you.  _In my head_. Care to explain what the hell that was?"

"Upon that note, I must be honest with you, Thalia. It seems your dormant abilities have suddenly...activated." Amora sat in the wing-back chair. "To simplify, since you are one of my descendants, you were born with Asgardian powers. When you were an infant, you had the ability to mimic a person's appearance."

Thalia nodded. "Yeah, I heard that. Shape shifting or something like that."

"Well, next to that, you seemed to inherit a mass amount of magical abilities, some of which have turned on without warning. Like your telepathic abilities."

"Ha!" Thalia laughed. "I told Donnie once it was pathetic to think I could be telepathic."

"It seems you were in the wrong on that, niece," Amora snickered. "Some of these abilities, however, were active as soon as your resurfacing in April. Like illusions, or mental manipulation on your fiancé's father. Changing his memories to protect Donald from the hands of his father. Along with hiding your love marks from your fiancé and father for Donald's sake." Tilting her head to the side, she stood, her fingertips brushing along the remaining ones. "But that is beside the point. The point is, more of these gifts will begin to surface as time passes. I need you to convince your father that I need to train you to control these abilities."

"He won't listen to you? You're an all powerful sorceress who knows what you're talking about."

"That is what he fears. He fears I will take you from him because of that. I only wish to convince him of the opposite. Because while I watched you from afar on Asgard, he hasn't seen you in over a decade."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I would have figured with your incredible intelligence, you would have figured it out. Time is a tricky thing when it comes between Midgardians and Asgardians. These human records say the date of your disappearance is in early January. Which is accurate, but you and Donald are the same age. So who is right, the facts or your aunt?"

"You're confusing me."

"Your date of birth is November tenth of the year 1995. And your lover's the twenty-ninth of December, seven weeks later. But you were abducted on the inverse of that date, the eleventh of January, approximately seven years later."

"I was eight."

"Incorrect, niece. You were in the early months of your seventh year."

"I  _was_?"

Amora nodded. "You were young, so I don't expect you to keep such details accurate. It was a cold evening, and when I appeared, your father was inconsolable. After explaining the situation to me, I left for Asgard, using Heimdall to find you. I only found you a year ago, when you died in a Nova's arms."

"Sam."

"Yes. The boy visited you in the hospital constantly, to the point that the dark-skinned man with a missing eye put Sam on leave to tend to you. Your healing wasn't active when you were there, so your scars formed. Heimdall joked with me about the man with the missing eye, telling me that a man with one eye could see every soul in his world, whereas he had two and could see all the souls in the universe. I found it deep."

"So wait, then what am I turning this year?"

"I'm led to believe nineteen. If you wish, we could go to S.H.I.E.L.D. and inquire there."

"Yeah. Sounds good." Thalia loosened her robe sash, glancing at Amora's apparel. "Aunt Amora, your clothing is badass."

"Your father's original clothing made me look like a tall convent-woman," Amora scoffed. "As you can see, I shifted it to fit my desires. Well, desires as far as Midgardian clothing go." Standing, she admired her reflection in the mirror. In a black and green ivy corset, she stood proudly in what looked to be ink black leather pants and green gladiator heels, creating circles up to her knees. "In Asgard, my attire consisted of much similar clothing, except in green and with a skirt. Now come niece, shall we dress you like the Asgardian sorceress you are?"

~*~

Standing straight at the screeching intruder alert, Coulson grabbed his gun, silently pressing himself against the wall. Looking out the doorway, he saw no-one in the hall.

"Where is this leader of yours?" Amora called out. "I wish to speak to the man in charge!"

"Amora," he entered the hall. "Over here."

The towering woman strode into his hallway, her unnaturally pale shadow behind her. "Thalia and I want to view your records. You made sloppy work of the reports on January the eleventh and we wish to correct them."

"Why?"

"Much confusion arose from an incorrect detail of those reports."

"Which was..?"

"My niece's age at the time of the kidnapping."

"She was eight."

"Wrong, son of Coul. She was seven and I wish to correct this."

"Oh. Well then right this way," he led the two to his office. As Thalia took a seat, he pulled up the reports. "The originals are hard copies, but they were copied before being burned. You can add a note to the reports--"

"I know how to use the technology." When Amora began reading the reports, he glanced at Thalia, who fell asleep on the couch. "Don't inquire, Coulson. It is none of your business."

"I just wanted to let you know that we found the shooter."

"I already knew this as well." Amora flicked through reports. "Something forced her to awaken and attack it when it came to the hospital to finish my niece off."

"How is she?"

"Her health is on the mend," she replied distantly, turning her back to the door as Skye strode in.

"Thalia's here?" Skye said, seeing Amora. "Oh."

Finished with adding the note, Amora spun on her heel, her face going dark. "You will move away from her before I do you bodily harm."

Skye threw her hand out to Thalia. "It wasn't me doing it! I wasn't in control of myself," she said quickly.

"Bilgspat!" Amora swore. "I felt your aura there!"

Throwing her hands out, a seismic blast knocked the Asgardian off her feet. Standing, Amora's hands began to set aflame. "An Inhuman in your ranks? I should have known," she snarled. "I have no quarrel with your people. You think just because Asgardians tried many centuries ago to exterminate you, you feel need to try and return the favor. I took no part!"

"Sif expressed her distress for the existence of us," Skye stood straight. "Is that true?"

"It is," Amora turned off the screens. "Now we must leave." Bending down to the couch, she nudged Thalia. "Niece. We must leave." She gasped in horror when she slumped forward, her stomach growing red.

"Jemma!" Coulson yelled, and Amora took the small girl into her arms, sobbing as the stain grew larger. "Amora, what can we do?"

"I will not trust you with my niece's safety!" she half snarled and half promised, pulling open Thalia's shirt and pressing her hands against her stomach. Jemma ran into the room. "Do not touch her!"

"I am a doctor. I need to stop the bleeding."

"You will not lay a hand on her, or else I will damn you to Hel myself!" Amora frantically waved her hand, opening a portal. "Thalia, stay with me."

In the portal, Ian was frantically searching her room, stepping back as Amora suddenly appeared, Thalia in her arms. "Ian, find Carroll. Her stitches tore."

"What the hell was she doing outside the house?"

"Ian, this is your daughter's life in danger! Find me Carroll  _now_!" As she laid Thalia out, Carroll entered the room. "Her stitches tore and she is bleeding heavily. Help me please."

"Like I'm paid to do. I need my kit from my office." When Amora produced the bag, Carroll opened it, pulling out a scalpel and several other tools. "Ian, you might not want to see this."

~G.A.M.E.~

Opening her eyes, Amora stood above her, her face wet with tears. "Oh, Thalia, I'm so sorry," she whimpered, wiping her eyes. "I acted foolishly and put your life in danger. Please forgive me."

She tried to sit, suddenly feeling a burning pain throughout her entire core. "What happened?"

"I was reckless and started a fight with an Inhuman. She emitted a pulse that destroyed your stitches and caused you blood loss."

"As of right now, she is strictly on bed rest," Carroll ordered. "Her insides have been placed under enough strain and we will be lucky if no permanent damage occurs." Turning to Thalia, she said, "As for you, you are not to move. I just had to perform impromptu surgery on you after this attack destroyed the stitches. I do not want you to move."

"Why?"

"Because you now have a singular three inch incision in your stomach where there was originally two bullet holes. You will not move, Thalia Lorelei Quinn. Because if you do, I'm going to give you this--" Carroll held up a small vial, "--and then you will be too comatose to move. So don't test my patience." 

"Hey, Thalia," Donnie strode in. Seeing the audience, he looked at her, pointing his finger around the room with his eyebrows knit together. "What's with the..?"

"Mes points de suture ont encore une fois, donc je suis maintenant sur l'alitement strict."

"I'm only to Directions on Duolingo. I only got about half of that."

"Amora was in an altercation with something called an Inhuman that emitted a seismic pulse that tore her stitches," Carroll explained irritably. "So she's on strict bed rest until  _everything_  heals."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "Comment ce toujours le cas pour vous?"

She smiled weakly. "Je vais être bon, Donnie. Je vais arriver à poser dans son lit toute la journée!"

"That's not funny, Thalia," he scolded her and she frowned, the facial expression not able to hide the teasing smile on her face. "What did I say about not wanting to lose you?"

"I'm sorry, lune de ma vie."

"Why are you always apologizing?" he asked rhetorically.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning to change the bandages. She is on strict bed rest, Donnie." Glaring at him, Carroll added, "No physical activity until it's cleared through me."

When the group of adults cleared, Donnie stood. "Well, I'll be right back."

She pushed herself into an upright position. "Where are you going?"

"To get entertainment."

When the door shut behind him, Ward randomly appeared. "Hey."

"I saw what you did out in the garden," he nodded. "Weeded the entire thing on your own and planted flowers."

"I needed something to do."

"That's the Garrett in you. Always looking for something to do." Ward sat down at the foot of her bed. "Whether it be cleaning guns or weeding gardens for hours on end, it's productive. In some sense. He used to tell me, 'when your mind wanders, so do your hands'. So I would spend hours meticulously cleaning my guns or practicing my shot, giving myself plenty of time to think about my actions. It's what I did when I would think about your situation."

"What did you do?"

"Cleaned my scope. The lens was really nasty, so as I cleaned it, the view on your situation became clear. What I did was wrong, and I needed to fix it."

"But you didn't reach this conclusion on your own, did you?"

"There was a woman I loved once. She would always tell me that I needed to face my demons, or at least communicate with them properly. Find out why they were there, and face them head on. We were trying to clear our names, help each other sleep at night."

"What was her name?"

"Kara. But she's dead now."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was my fault. I thought she was someone else, and she was caught in the stomach with three bullets. She didn't make it." He stood. "Get some sleep."

"I'm not tired." Reaching for her IV stand, she began tapping buttons on the remote. "Donnie said he would be back with some form of entertainment."

Smiling briefly, he stood, tapping at the remote in Thalia's place. "There," he said softly, and she felt a rush of relief flooding her veins. Picking up a chair and moving it closer to the bed, he sat down in it. "You remind me of Kara. Kind and gentle. Intelligent."

"La barbe est pas un philosophe, mais plutôt les paroles de sagesse il parle."

"Wise words. Why French?"

"I like the way the language rolls off my tongue. It's natural, never forced or sharpened like English is. The language is also a Romance language, which descended from Latin. And Latin also rolls off one's tongue."

"Try telling that to Donnie. When he's on Duolingo, if it keeps counting something he says wrong, he'll start swearing at it."

Just then, Donnie rolled in a cart, and Thalia placed a pillow under her back. "Donnie, do you swear at Duolingo?"

"What? Who told you that?" He began freezing corners of a large white sheet to the wall. "I do not swear at Duolingo."

"Vous êtes assis sur un trône de mensonges," Thalia heard Ward say.

"I do not. I don't have her sailor mouth."

"What's wrong with my sailor mouth?" Thalia crossed her arms. "You certainly don't have a problem with it."

Ward snickered. "What is that?"

"A projector. We are going to watch movies."

"I get first call, because my house, my rules."

"Well of course you do. Ladies first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love comments and feedback!


	27. Quite The Private Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason for updating today is actually quite simple: Thalia's birthday!

"Come on, Miss Carroll. I've been on bed rest for over a month!" Thalia pouted, crossing her arms as Carroll peeled back the bandage. "You can at least let me up and about now."

"Thalia, you've only been on bed rest since the twelfth of September and it is now the eleventh of October, which is only twenty-nine days. Maybe a birthday wish would be the ability to engage in mild exercise by your birthday. Which is only thirty-one days away." After applying anesthetic, she began taking out the old sutures. "My answer is still no. We'll revisit the topic after Halloween."

"So how are the stitches?"

"As I theorized, you are on the last leg of the journey. Nine stitches left."

"Thank you, Jesus."

"I am confused, niece," Amora stood. "If you are an Asgardian and embrace your heritage, why is it you still pay homage to an earthly religion with no validity as to the powers or physical form of their god?"

"It's an immersion thing," Carroll explained. "She's been on Midgard her entire life, and the largest religion is Christianity. These people believe the son of their God had the ability to turn water to wine, resurrect the dead, other things like that."

"I can do such things as well, so why am I not revered for it?"

"Because the Christians had a little thing about that in the 1690s, otherwise known as the Salem Witch Trials. They believed that people who possessed abilities were in league with the devil himself," Carroll paused to clean Thalia's incision, "and these Christians burned said people at the stake for being witches."

"Julian said something about that once, he was almost hanged for not aging." Amora stood. "Until I saved him."

Thalia nodded in her direction. "We talked about that, you know."

"Humans are strange."

Thalia snorted, earning a glare for moving. "If you want an idea of how strange, read the Bible."

"Why would I read a book about a Midgardian religion?"

"I'm not saying you have to, Aunt Amora. I find it funny how Christians claim that the book was written by God himself. The Spirit ain't got a pen. He just gave it to forty other dudes and took the credit."

"You try telling that to the Bible-thumpers of the Southern States, Miss Quinn. You couldn't go to a SciCon down there without them trying to ban it because 'durr durr, science is witchcraft, Thomas Edison was a witch, fire bad, durr durr'." When Thalia giggled, Carroll placed her hand on Thalia's stomach. "Trust me on this. I did a referral for this woman whose mother had an aneurysm, and the woman refused to let me perform medical procedures on her because she believed God would save her mind and soul. She died from a heart attack a month later, but that always sat odd with me. Because who would be stupid enough to put faith in something that might not even exist?"

"Hey Thalia!" Donnie called, entering the room with a sandwich in his hands. "What's the topic of book club today?"

"Religion."

"And I'm walking out," he teased, leaving the room and reentering a few seconds later. "Just kidding. How many stitches left?"

"I removed two today, so nine left. Turns out my strict bed rest is doing good."

"You put a catheter inside of me, Carroll. That cancels out any and every benefit of stitch removal."

Donnie let his hands fall. "What's a catheter?"

Thalia temporarily looked pinched. "Not worth telling you, lune de ma vie," she answered, gasping quietly. "I felt that."

"The anesthesia is wearing off," Carroll noted, snipping the suture thread. "I need to take some blood for a test I need to run. See if you're ready to move to an intravenous multivitamin."

"Why?"

"Because it would be a good way to replenish your poor iron levels. I know just from looking at you that your anemia's getting worse."

"And you couldn't mix my iron into an IV?"

Carroll shook her head. "I don't have the equipment here for it."

"Yet you have the equipment needed for impromptu surgeries or stitch-making?" Thalia frowned. "Well then why couldn't I just take the pills like I normally did?"

"Because it's absorbed through the small intestine, which if I remember correctly is the one with nine stitches still in it." Placing a new bandage on, Carroll gathered her supplies, plucking out a vial and drawing blood.

"You know, Carroll, my anemia isn't getting better with you poking me constantly."

"I know, Thalia," Carroll replied, clearly sympathetic. "I promise, this multivitamin will help that. That is if your results qualify you for it."

"Why do I need to be tested for it?"

"Making sure you're compatible for this special multivitamin IV. I'm sure you'll do fine. If it passes, I should get the IV from the hospital tomorrow."

Leaving the room, Donnie sat down. "So this is almost over."

"It is," Thalia smiled. "Do me a favor and spare me a bite of that."

Holding the sandwich out to her, she took it, taking a decent bite from the corner. "How it feels to give food to my starved body: almost better than sex."

"Really? Are we trying to damage my self-esteem now?"

"Just for the record, you're stating that it is a joint effort." She scrunched her nose. "And I was teasing you, lune de ma vie. You are a perfectly fine lover."

"A compliment?"

"Don't get all cocky, I'll take it back. Donnie, can you do something for me?"

"What do you need?"

"Books. Lots of books. I'm bored and need something to do." She sighed. "I've stared at nothing but the four walls and a projector screen for the past four weeks."

"The machine is almost finished."

"Really? That's awesome!" Thalia beamed. "When do you think it'll be fully finished?"

"Early November. Maybe I'll make it snow for your birthday."

"Really?" She tilted her head to the side. "Any other fiancé would take me out to dinner, buy me presents, or treat me like a queen. But you're different, because you could actually make it snow on or around my birthday. Now  _that's_ dedication and love." Her face fell. "Oh my God, Donnie, I feel so bad. We're engaged and have been together for months yet  _I don't even know your birthday_."

"It doesn't matter."

"Bullcrap it doesn't matter! It's your birthday, the anniversary of your birth." She pulled him in for a kiss. "When is it?"

"The twenty-ninth of December. And Thalia, you already knew. Back in August." He smiled. "You told me you were older by seven weeks."

"I did?"

Donnie nodded. "Yeah," he replied sarcastically. "But it's okay. Time does kinda blur when you are confined to a bed."

"Books?"

"Right, I'm on it." He stood. "See you later," he told her, tucking his hands in his pockets and leaving the room. Tossing her head back into the pillows, the door closed and she sighed.

"Thalia, what's wrong?"

"I'm anchored to a bed all day, Dad. You tell me." Turning her head to the side, she noticed worry on Ian's face. "What's wrong?"

"Thalia, I want to say I'm sorry." He wove his hands together. "But I can't get the words out."

"You just did."

"Not like that," he shook his head. "I want you to know I'm truly, really sorry. Donnie told me it was a sore spot, but I didn't listen because I thought it was just from his perspective. But it isn't. And as good as you are at hiding it, I still see it every day. It isn't fair that I made a low blow to you. My  _own daughter_. And don't say you understand, because I know you. You, while maintaining a calm and collected exterior, know how unfair it is that you can't say a word about it; trust me, you inherited that from me, not wanting anyone's sympathy." Remaining silent, she let him continue. "So I'm going to do something I've only done once before. You don't have to forgive me, just accept my apology.  _Please_."

"Doesn't one have to happen for the other to occur?"

"I'll grant this exception. What I did was wrong. You do not have to forgive what I said, you never have to. I'm just asking that you accept my apology."

"How about I do the opposite, where I forgive you but not your behavior. Because you were right Dad, that was beyond unacceptable. And I am nowhere close to forgiving for that."

"I'm just rusty at this," he sighed. "I haven't been a parent for a while."

"And no excuse is going to make me come any closer to forgiving," she promised. Ian tensed up then nodded.

"Of course." Ian then formed a grin. "Is it okay to eat dinner with you?"

"Yeah, sure," she nodded quickly. "You're always welcome, Dad. I always thought it was because you were intimidated to be around Donnie so much."

"I always thought you didn't want me spoiling your time with him. After all, he spends the majority of his days downstairs."

A guard entered the room. "Mister Quinn, there's a man out on the porch wanting to see you."

"Okay." Ian nodded. Turning back to her, he told her, "I'll be right back."

"Ward said that my flowers were blooming. Could he go out there and get pictures for me?"

"I can do you one better," he called out, and looking into the doorway, she saw him wheeling a wheelchair in. "The guy at the door dropped off this. It's got in IV clip so it'll hold your stuff when we go out there."

"Really?" She sat up. "Am I allowed to go out to see them?"

"I'll text Carroll and let her know."

"Amora's out there too, so we'll both be out there." Gently clasping Thalia's hands, Ward helped her into the chair, hooking her IVs to the stand. Leading her to the window, he pulled it open, pushing her through. "Don't worry. These are actually doors."

"Really? Would have  _never_ guessed," she replied sarcastically. Crossing her arms, she shivered at the stark autumn air brushing across her arms. A blanket was wrapped around her, and she hugged it tightly. "Thank you."

"The flowers are falling out of season now, so they look a little wilted," Ward informed her. "But they are still beautiful." Bending down to pick a flower, he handed it to her, watching as it slowly became encased in ice. "What are you doing?"

"Preserving it. This isn't wilted, so I'm freezing it so it will stay that way." When she was finished, she held a small ice globe with a vivid purple flower in the middle. "And it will remain pretty."

"What if it melts?"

"It won't. I made it." She placed the globe in her lap. "It's getting colder. Can we go inside?"

Spinning her in a circle, he began wheeling her back. "Wouldn't getting a blood transfusion from Donnie make you somewhat impervious to the cold?"

"I've been surrounded by my own warmth for over a month. I never got the opportunity to experience other temperatures."

"Well with this, that'll be easier to do."

"I hope so. I need to stretch."  
~*~  
October 31st

"So, it's Halloween," Thalia prodded Carroll.

"And I said we would talk after Halloween."

"Three stitches left, Carroll. Three! Why can't that warrant a light discussion? I mean that new IV I got a few weeks ago is giving my body the strength it needs to heal faster."

"But not fast enough," she replied, gathering her supplies. "You're lucky I'm letting you out in that wheelchair."

"Which I need," Thalia fired back. "Dad said it would be okay for me to start moving around. On two legs."

"And if I recall correctly, your father isn't a medical professional."

"But I am."

"And while you are, your opinion is automatically biased because you're the patient."

"Carroll, it's Halloween!" Thalia whined. "A major holiday! Donnie and I could pass out candy at the front door and watch horror movies!" Placing a hand on her stomach, she added, "And besides, it would give me the opportunity to get some light exercise. I'm feeling heavily bloated. Like I'm about to vomit bloated."

"Really?" Carroll raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Stand up."

Thalia cross her arms, bitterly asking, "Why? I'm not supposed to be moving, remember?"

"Because your abdomen may be distended from the injuries, Thalia. Now please stand up."

Getting out of bed, she rubbed her stomach with the heel of her hand while Carroll softly pressed into her stomach around her belly button. "It's right there," Thalia guided her hand to just under her navel. "This kind of consistent pressure."

"You haven't moved a lot in so long your torso is starting to--how do I word this?--get a bit bloated as a result. You aren't engaging your core muscles. And you're increased eating habits have exacerbated the symptoms a bit."

"I haven't been eating more!"

"You have. But that's a good thing. It means your digestive system is healed enough to take more food. And you have responded heartily." Carroll stood Thalia in front of the mirror. "See?"

"Sort of," Thalia shrugged, turning and noticing the slight stomach bulge. "Is it something fixable?"

"Yes it is. Engaging the core muscles in stretching would stimulate them enough to tighten up. Ease into it. Try doing it in the shower with some warm water. It'll allow them to relax so you can reach full range of motion."

She nodded, walking towards the door. When she was outside, she jumped at the collective "Trick or treat!" coming from kids at the front door. Slowly she slunk along the wall, then hearing a "Wow, who's she?"

Freezing, she remained motionless as Donnie turned around, candy bowl in hand. "Hey," he smiled, setting down the bowl. "Glad to see you moving around."

"Is she your girlfriend?" A boy on the front porch peered around Donnie to look at her. "She's really pretty."

"Yeah, she is," he beamed, gently taking her hand. "You okay?"

She nodded her head. "Carroll told me to clean up."

"Well don't let us stop you," he nudged her towards the stairs. "I'll still be here."

Flitting up the stairs, she shut herself in to the bathroom, filling the room with steam. Peeling off the bandage, she saw the edges of the incision slowly begin to knit together. Stretching her arms over her head, she winced at the faint pull. "Those kids are absolutely nosy, aren't they?"

"They're kids," she replied. Turning to face Donnie, she smiled. "It's adorable, for some."

"So," he ran his hand along the back of his neck. "How many stitches are left?"

Holding up three fingers, he grinned. "That's good." Hearing the doorbell ring again, he sighed. "That's for me. I'll be downstairs." Kissing her cheek, he slipped out, heading downstairs. As she heard him commenting on kids' costumes while passing out candy, she yawned, slipping into the shower and getting lost in the steam.

~G.A.M.E.~

Lowering the volume on their movie, he stood, ready to grab the candy bowl when Thalia woke. "Donnie, I got it."

"It's okay, you were sleeping. And I was going to put it up anyways, it's almost ten." Standing, he placed the bowl on the counter, coming back to find her watching the movie. Sitting down, she then laid on him, resting her head on his chest as the movie continued. "Having fun?"

She pressed a kiss to his shirt. "Your heartbeat is interesting to listen to. Slow yet evenly paced, at about, but not limited to, fifty beats a minute."

"Really?"

"Yep, and it's forty when you sleep. Mine just stays at about a hundred and twenty bpm constantly."

"Then that would make yours fascinating," he replied nonchalantly, wrapping his arms around her. "Come on, it's time for bed."

"Sure."

Scooping her up into his arms, he stood, beginning the walk to her room. "Why aren't you hooked up to your fancy designer drugs?"

"Carroll found out that they were forming addictions."

"My fiancée was slowly becoming addicted to narcotics. Never thought I would actually say that."

"Well that's the drawback of the designer drugs. So it was the truly horrific withdrawal symptoms that caused her to take me off them completely. Now all I got going for me is an IV useful in the service of giving me all the vitamins I need."

"Which is supposed to be good. Right?"

"Carroll says my skin is practically glowing from all the vitamins and resting I've been doing."

"Well I don't doubt that," he paused to set her down in her bed. "You look like you're glowing from the inside. Which I wonder if that's something you do normally considering you and your relationship with electricity or your godly heritage." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "But either way, still beautiful."

"You can stay if you want to."

"I gotta get back downstairs."

"You know, in the scenario that we ever get married, a sentence like that would mean you better plan on sleeping down there because I had great plans for the next morning."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm listening," he replied with a smirk.

"Well, nothing special. Just sleeping in some more. I'm exhausted."

"Sounds like a plan." Sliding in next to her, he asked, "Have you given much thought to your birthday? It's only ten days away now."

"It hasn't even crossed my mind," she sighed in disappointment. "Here I was so excited for it and I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to take notice."

"How many times must I tell you that someone attempted to assassinate you? You were on life-support, and you're tearing yourself down because you forgot to plan a party?" He turned her onto her back. "Thalia, you're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Being self-deprecating."

"I am not," she pouted. "I am simply criticizing my inability to multitask with my thoughts. I was so wrapped up in my own dilemmas that I didn't even think of anyone else."

"There is nothing wrong with having a little self-respect. You needed to take care of yourself. I don't get why you feel like you've let someone down when the only person you're doing that to is you."

"We haven't told Coulson anything. I mean the man practically saved our butts more than once. Taking us in, protecting us from Christina, pulling us out of some very hairy situations. I feel we owe him at the very least some relief that we're fine."

"Your dad has basically blacklisted S.H.I.E.L.D., Thalia. He says if he finds any of their agents, he's going to inflict the pain on them that they caused you. And he's not kidding."

"Zeke. Donnie, we need to find Zeke." She threw off the blankets. "Zeke! Ezekiel Crosse!"

Ward entered the room. "Thalia, what's going on?"

"Where's Zeke?"

"Thalia, relax. A shareholder showed up earlier and Zeke is Ian's strong-arm for the discussion."

"Okay," she sighed, crawling back into bed. "Make sure he's okay for me."

"Sure."

~*~

Tightening his fingers around hers, Donnie pressed a kiss to Thalia's shoulder. Slowly leaving the bed, he headed to the kitchen, making a large plate of food and carrying it back to the room. "Good morning."

"Lune de ma vie, you didn't need to," she smiled weakly. Sitting, she was handed a cup of milk and her iron pill, which she took gently with a sour face. "I can get it myself. I'm not invalid."

"While Carroll said mild exercise, you did a lot considering everything you did yesterday. Down to to three stitches and you've moved a lot from your room to the upstairs to the downstairs."

"Donnie, please don't coddle me. I am a capable human being." Taking a bagel, she took a bite. "Please."

"Alright." Sitting on her feet, he drank his coffee. "So it's been near twelve hours since we talked about it. Do you know what you want to do yet?"

"Lune, it's the first of November. My birthday is nine days away."

"I heard your dad was planning a party."

" _Dad_..." she whined, and he entered the room. "Please do not!"

"Thalia, this is your first birthday since waking up as yourself. I am going to throw you a party and you will accept it," Ian replied smugly. "So there is no backing out."

"So as you can see," Thalia yawned, "there's already a plan in place for that date."

Ian began to pull something from his pocket. "And I have a present for you."

"Dad, please don't!"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, if I've said it once, I've said it a million times. This is a birthday present, not a bomb. It's not going to hurt you if you accept what I have to give." He pressed a small envelope into her hand. "Here."

She looked inside. Bringing out a picture, she saw a beautiful redhead laid out on a white couch, tracing the folds of fabric along her dress. "Is this Mom?"

"Before you were born. Lorelei was absolutely furious, but relented once she realized she wouldn't be here for your upbringing." Ian watched Thalia study the picture. "She wanted you to know who she was."

"Thank you," she replied, her voice thick as she continued to stroke the photo. "Could I get a frame for this?"

Donnie nodded, leaving in search for a frame. Ian sat down next to her, watching her continue to touch the picture. Looking up at him, her eyes were watery, and when he reached forward to wrap her in his arms, she began sobbing. "It's okay."

"I know, I know," she sniffled, smiling and wiping her cheeks. "I just feel so hormonal and it's..."

"You don't need to explain to me, Thalia." He kissed her forehead. When Donnie reentered the room, Thalia held out her hand, causing the frame to fly from his hand and into hers. Arranging the picture inside, she set it on the nightstand. "She loved you a lot."

"Thank you," she told him again, tossing off the blankets and going pale. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she said quickly, sprinting to the bathroom and slamming the door.

"Well now who gave her food?" Carroll asked exasperatedly, impatiently tying up her hair and wincing at the sound of Thalia's retching. "I tell you and I tell you and I tell you, but nobody seems to give enough of a damn to listen. Semi-solid foods only!" Opening the bathroom door, she pulled Thalia's hair from her face, speaking softly to her as she sagged against the toilet. Turning towards Donnie, she stood, closing the door behind her as she stalked towards him. "What did you give her this morning?"

"She took her iron and had part of a bagel."

"Now you see there's the problem. I do not care that she is your fiancée, I care that she is recovering at a normal pace. Starches bad, pills bad, solid foods bad. If I need to make it simpler, I will draw you pictures, but for the love of God, stop giving her solid food!"

Donnie winced. "Yes, ma'am."

"And you," she spun on her heel to look at Ian, "if what I hear about this party is true, I do not want her eating any solid foods. Because if she has to suffer through another vomiting episode, so help me God I will forbid you to see her. As I said to him, I care not that she is your daughter. You think you know what's best for her, which is why you hired me. I  _know_ what is best for her. So unless you suddenly get a couple medical degrees, listen to what I say. Both of you. Do I make myself clear?"

As both men uttered a "Yes, ma'am", Thalia opened the door. "I will get your aunt, she tells me she has vast Asgardian medical knowledge and knows what to do. Get back to bed." When she nodded, Carroll left the room, coming back with Amora a few moments later. Dripping a few drops of a honey colored mixture onto Thalia's lips, Amora whispered a few words in her native tongue, spreading the concoction over her lips and making her fall asleep.

"She will sleep for a few hours. But she will be awake by noontime."

Carroll nodded her head towards Amora. "Thank you."

"Thanks are not needed, healer," she returned courteously. "Come with me. I have something to show you."

~*~

Shaking the fuzzy feeling from her head, Thalia sat up, feeling a vibrating in her head. Trying to rapidly blink away the sensation, it failed, and she stumbled out of bed, groaning in pain. "Donnie? Dad?"

When nobody responded, she began to wander the halls of the house, peering into different rooms looking for everyone. "Aunt Amora? Carroll?"

"Thalia?" Ward rounded the corner, an inquisitive look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Where is everyone?"

"I was about to ask you that, because I can't find anyone either."

"I think they're all going birthday shopping. My dad is planning a party for me."

He nodded. "I'll agree with you there, he is quite extravagant."

When a car pulled up outside, Thalia relaxed. "They're back."

"I don't think that's them," Ward called after her. As she threw open the front door, she was immediately met with Daisy's face.

"Get back, get back!" Thalia backed away from the door, whimpering as Daisy held out her hands. "You stay the hell away from me!"

"Thalia, please calm down," she said soothingly. "I wanted to talk."

"What makes you think I want to talk to you when you put two bullets in my stomach? Or the one in Donnie's shoulder? You can just do some good right now and leave while your free will is still intact."

"I wasn't thinking," she replied softly. "Hyde, she messed with my head."

"You heard her, leave," Ward growled threateningly.

"Muzzle it," she barked at him, pointing an ICER at him. Turning back to Thalia, she said, "Please believe me."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm asking you to," Coulson said, coming up to the door. "May I come in?"

Thalia nervously nodded, and he stepped over the threshold, shutting the door behind him. "There. You're safe."

"Where's Zeke?"

"I pulled him out. As much as you needed the protection and we needed the intel, we didn't want to risk his life. So he left to be with Allison. Last I checked, he was stoked because he was going to be a dad."

"Allie's pregnant?"

"Threw him for a loop, too." Coulson smiled a tight-lipped smile. "And he wanted to be there for her. So he asked to leave. And I let him. Obviously the job of your guard dog wasn't unfilled for long."

"Be respectful to Ward, Coulson," she spat. "While you two do not share pleasant history, he's trying to rectify the one he has with me."

"Sorry." Straightening himself, Coulson asked, "So, how have you been?"

"Better. I've been sick," she trailed off, pressing her hand to her stomach.

Coulson's face quickly morphed to one of utter shock. "You aren't pregnant, are you?"

Thalia went wide eyed. "No!" She shook her head furiously. "I've just been healing slowly and Carroll says when I eat solid food I get sick and start throwing up. A testament being this morning."

"But you're sure you aren't..."

"Yes. I mean no. I mean yes?" She looked out the window when another vehicle pulled into the drive. "Excuse me."

"So from what I hear, I heard something very big happened."

"Hm?" Looking back at him, he kept shooting unsubtle glances toward her ring. "Oh."

Coulson smiled knowingly. "Want to tell me what that's about?"

"Kind of self-explanatory, really." Looking back out the window, she walked behind him, picking up the large manila envelope on the foyer table with her name on it. "Did you bring this?"

"Nope."

"Well, I'll see what this is. You can leave now," she waved her hand. Nodding, Coulson turned around and walked out the door. "Ward?"

"Yes, Thalia?"

"Could you take me down to the lab?" She opened the envelope, examining the contents inside. "I want to see what this is."

~G.A.M.E.~

Waking up, Donnie glanced at the alarm clock, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep for a while. So getting out of bed, he padded down the stairs to the lab, stepping out of the elevator when he saw Thalia's petite figure seated at a table. "Thalia?"

"Hi," she replied softly, stirring a blue mixture around in its beaker. "Can't sleep."

"Neither could I," he answered warily. "What are you doing down here?"

"I work on this at night so I can concentrate."

"What is it?"

"'Serum'," she answered his question. "Not sure what kind of serum, though. This was disturbingly vague."

"Why are you down here?"

"I just answered that."

"No, why are you down here when you know you aren't supposed to be?"

"Lune de ma vie, being my lover and all, I will assume you will keep quiet about this," she tossed a sleepy smile in his direction, "granted that I will not bring harm to myself in the process of coming down here."

"How long have you been coming down here?"

"Since the first. When I got the Serum papers. Just a little over a week." Setting the blue vial down in a stand, she stood. "I can't sleep so I have Ward escort me to the elevator."

"So that's who was snoozing in the dining room," Donnie said to himself, turning to her. "Do you wanna see the machine?"

She nodded, and he took her hand, leading her to a covered machine. Pulling the sheet off, she gasped in awe, reaching out to touch the machine. "Wow. So this is what it looks like. Never thought it was this beautiful when it wasn't covered in burns and soot."

"Well it's not quite finished. I still have some electrical stuff and wiring to do. Which I would work on when  _I_ couldn't sleep."

"More alike than not, hm?" Thalia asked, sitting and admiring the machine. "It is a masterpiece."

"That it is," he replied, admiring her from behind. Wrapping his arms around her, he said, "I was worried about you. Constantly."

"I'm sorry, lune de ma vie," she ran a hand up the back of his arm, kissing his bicep. "I thought too that I would bounce back quickly."

He rubbed a hand along her side. "Well, now you're better. Almost."

"Practically back to normal," she said softly. The cool metal of her ring against his arm spurred him to sit behind her. "Hey Patrick Swayze, you aren't my ghost," she teased him sleepily, smiling into his shirt. "But I don't mind."

"Tired Thalia," he whispered into her hair, pulling it back behind her and running his fingers through it. Lightly tugging on the ends, she whimpered softly.

"Have I ever told you how mysteriously good that feels?" she asked quietly, running her hand up and down his leg. "Much like if I were to start running my nail along your thigh."

"I feel bad admitting this, but I would get so annoyed when I couldn't be with you."

She laughed wryly. "Whatever did you do to take care of yourself before I was around?"

"It was complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"Complicated like the shifty deal you just made with me saying I wouldn't tell anyone you're coming down here if you weren't hurting yourself coming down here. Which is feasible, just very suspicious."

"Touché." Standing, she turned to face him. "You and Edward did a very good job on this. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, fiancée," he replied, chastely kissing her and allowing her to go around him back to her table.

"You're welcome." Turning towards her table, she reached out and let her fingertips graze along the worn notebook paper. Her handwriting, as foreign in content as it was, danced across the pages. Looking up, she saw Donnie beginning to tinker with the machine, his nimble fingers plugging in wires. Going back to him, she tilted his face to the side, looking into his eyes and saying, "I missed you too" before kissing him.

Freeing his hand from the tangle of wires sticking out of the machine, he wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her in. She sighed against his lips, being pulled flush against his chest. Stilling, she parted her lips, touching her forehead to his before saying, "My stomach, lune de ma vie."

"I don't want to hurt you, Thalia."

"No no, nothing like that. I got the last stitch taken out yesterday."

"Really?"

"I need to be careful, but everything's normal again."

"Then I retract what I was saying so long ago. I want to make this the best moment I can." He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. "And we have a while, so..."

Pulling out of his arms, she raised an eyebrow. "And possibly scar poor Edward for life with what he may see?" Thalia clucked her tongue. "You poor, clueless boy."

"What?"

"There isn't a place in this lab that would let that occur," she crossed her arms. "Do the math, genius."

"Sarcastic as ever, my love." He pointed to a screened off part of the lab. "I put a bed over there."

"Really? Did this scenario ever come to mind?"

"No, the scenario that I would end up sleeping down here to work longer on the machine eventually won out."

"Sarcastic as ever, my love," she threw his words back at him. He turned to her, standing to his full height and towering over her. "You don't scare me."

"I know I don't. But I do happen to do other things, don't I?" When Thalia went still, he moved to stand in front of her. Slowly running his hand along her cheek, she went to her tiptoes and kissed him. "I'm going to lay down for a bit. Want to join me?"

"Maybe later," he nodded his head, placing his hand on the back of his neck and looked at the machine. "I'm going to see what I can get done before I join you."

~*~

Rolling onto his side, he yawned and watched Thalia amble around the lab, touching the wires spilling from the machine. Slowly ambling back towards him, she slid back under the blankets. "So I'm getting the strong urge to want to braid your hair. Is that weird?"

"No. I actually enjoy the feeling a lot. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled her hair behind her. "You'll have to excuse the pillow frizz. I was caught up in previous activities."

"Not a problem," he replied sleepily, kissing the back of her head as his fingers began darting back and forth. "So now that all the stitches are out, is everything normal again?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Thalia smiled. "I'm glad that I can come back down here. I miss working in the lab."

Taking the hairband from her wrist, he tied it around the end of her hair. "Come on, let's get back to work."

Approaching the machine again, Donnie began wiring the control panel. "If I work on this through today, I could be finished by tonight. Just in time for your party."

"Speaking of which, I need to talk to my dad about that. I'll see you this evening." When she reemerged in the house, Ward was finishing breakfast.

"Quite a lot of time you spent down there," he remarked, picking up his empty plate. As he walked into the kitchen, he said, "How much did you do?"

"Spent a frustratingly large amount of time trying to mix two chemicals that are extremely volatile towards each other until I realized I was mixing together the wrong things. So I took a break." Sitting at the bar, she took her iron pill and a glass of milk from Ward. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," he replied, handing her a plate of food. "Here."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that."

"Garrett taught me to make it. Eggs, cheese, hash browns, some secret ingredients. He would make it when you came to visit."

Taking a fork, she placed some in her mouth. "Not bad. Is it okay if I see?"

Reaching forward, she touched her fingertips to his temple.

_"Grant, I'd like you to meet Anna," John led a small girl towards him. She hid behind him, and he turned around, saying something to her. Coming forward, the dark haired girl looked at him. "We got orders from up top to be assigned to her case."_

_"Why?"_

_"I've got my record for rehabilitating youth, so top brass figured I would be a good fit. She's a Gifted."_

_"How old is she?"_

_"I'm eight. Or seven?" Anna tugged on Garrett's sleeve. "John, I don't remember."_

_"It's okay. You had a concussion, remember? The people we saved you from t-boned the car and you hit your head on the window." Anna's eyes clouded over, then cleared and she nodded. "Get your stuff from the car, Anna. Grant and I need to talk."_

_When she walked away, he turned to Ward. "That is unacceptable."_

_"I have my orders, and my orders are to keep a grip on the situation. We need to start recruiting Gifted people, and she's a good start."_

_"John, she doesn't even know how old she is. That's not good."_

_"We can use that to instill our values."_

_"Every word you say keeps making the whole situation feel disturbed," he hissed. "Recruiting kids? Brainwashing children?"_

_"You were a minor when I recruited you, weren't you?" John smiled. "And I didn't brainwash you, did I?" John took his jacket off. "She's too young for it, anyways. We'd need to wait until she's older. At least somewhere in the sixteen to eighteen year old range. I heard the top guys want to use her as a kind of test run for a new program."_

_He tensed up. "What kind of new program?"_

_"To replicate the program that created Romanoff." John also tensed. "Hydra's version of The Red Room."_

_"No! Absolutely not!"_

_"That's not up to us. We watch her and train her, and if they think the results are good, they'll green light the program. If not, they'll go all Faustus on her. I can't do anything but follow orders. And besides, how fortunate would Hydra be if we had both Ian_ and _Thalia Quinn on our team?"_

_"You are sick," Ward spat._

_"Speaking of which, I need to go to Cybertek. Watch her while I'm gone."_

_Turning to see Anna, he instead saw Thalia, a little girl with black hair dragging her suitcase. "Anna, do you mind if I help?"_

_"No sir, I don't," she shook her head, picking up what looked to be a heavy suitcase and tossing it on the bed._

_"That was quite a heavy suitcase. I have problems lifting them sometimes."_

_"It didn't feel heavy," she said softly. "Am I living with you guys?"_

_"I'm sorry?"_

_"John said that I would need to bring my clothes with me."_

_"How about something to eat?" Ward headed to the kitchen, quickly cooking a plate of food for her. "Garrett tells me you like this stuff."_

_Anna sat down, taking a bite of the egg, cheese and hash brown concoction. "He made it when I first came out of the hospital." Looking out at the drive, she asked, "Who's coming over?"_

_"I'm not sure," he shrugged. A car pulled up in the drive, and Ward pulled his gun from his holster, holding it in his hands. "Anna, stay behind me."_

_"Garrett? Where are you?"_

_Anna gasped. "Mister Coulson!" She ran out from behind him and outside, bouncing on her heels. "Hi!"_

_"Hey, kiddo, what've you been up to?"_

_She shook her head. "I can't remember."_

_"Ready to go?"_

_Nodding, she grabbed her bags, dragging them to the car. "Where am I going?"_

_"I know an agent wanting to foster kids up in New York. I can't take you everywhere, so you're gonna stay with her."_

_"But Coulson, I'll be good! I'll learn how to do all the stuff you can do."_

_"No, Anna. You need a normal childhood after the awful one your parents put you through. I'm not raising you like that."_

_She pursed her lips, saying a moody "Yes, sir" while climbing into the car. Ward tucked his gun back into his holster. "Will I be able to see her?" Ward asked._

_"That's classified," Coulson crossed his arms. "I'm sorry."_

_"Mister Coulson, are we going to leave sometime soon?" Anna complained. "It's hot."_

_Nodding his head, he climbed into the car, starting the engine. Anna rolled her window down, waving out at him. He waved back, hopeful to see her again._

Removing her hand, she smiled. "Thank you. If you don't mind, I need to find my dad."  
~*~  
"I take it from your miffed expression you didn't enjoy the conversation," Donnie offered. "Or win it."

"'Thalia Lorelei Quinn, as your father, I exercise my authority over you,'" she mocked him. "Zip me up, please."

"It's a party, Thalia." Tugging the zipper up her back, he commented, "This dress is beautiful, but has so much hardware on it. Zippers, buttons... If I didn't know better, you're trying to put on an authentic costume for Renaissance fair."

"When I picked out the dress, I thought the zipper was the only thing I'd have to do up."

Donnie hooked the zipper shut. "It looks tight."

"It's not," she shook her head. "But it's pinching around my boobs a bit."

"That looks to be the function of it. Now come on," Donnie began leading her to the door. "Party time."

"Ugh, the world is about to know every detail of my personal life," she grumbled, running her hands along his back. "Come on."

Walking outside, they walked side by side, observing the party. "I don't get why the party can't be on your actual birthday."

"His logic is people will get either a little trigger happy. Or wanting a more thorough examination of the property."

"Well, if I'm being honest, his worries do have root in current events."

"And my increasing attraction to you does have root in the way you look in a suit."

"Giving compliments is rather appreciated, fiancée."

After accepting a few "happy birthday" words from guests, Thalia sat down. "I can't wait until we get back inside."

"An after-party?"

"Of sorts," she whispered vaguely.

"Your dad is making a speech about you," Donnie told her, and they could hear Ian's voice over the low drone of everyone else. "Come on."

Heading to the stage, they showed up when he finished talking. People began holding conversations with Ian, not bothering the two of them until it went dark. "Well this is uneventful," Thalia complained.

"Remember, everyone's under the impression that your actual party is going to be celebrated privately."

"There is a strange man here," Ian told them in a hushed tone. "Donnie, take her back into the house, go to your room upstairs and lock it. Do not leave."

"Dad, I'm fine." She placed her hand on top of his. "Promise."

"Ian!" A brown-haired woman rushed forward, enveloping the trio in thick perfume and a hug. "How I've missed you!"

"Who is she?"

"Thalia, my dear, I brought brigadeiros when I visited." The woman frowned. "Ian, she doesn't remember."

"Carla, remember I told you about the accident?"

"Oh!" Carla beamed. "Accept my apologies, dear."

She drifted away. "Dad, who was that?"

"That was Mrs. Robinson."

"No clue who that is, but okay." Thalia continued her rounds with the party guests, and Ian watched as she began timid conversation with the guests. She returned, her face pale and her hand pressed to her stomach. "I think I'm done here."

"Is your stomach bothering you?"

She nodded, and Ian looked at Donnie, telling him, "Take her inside."

Speed walking into her room, she shut the doors behind him, pulling down her zipper and taking in a large intake of air. "Jesus, that's tight!" she said hoarsely, crossing her arms and placing them against the wall as she leaned on them. "It was too tight," she panted, reaching a hand to her back to pull the zipper down further. "I need to get out of this."

"Maybe you were going too fast again," Donnie offered softly, pulling the zipper down the rest of the way.

"I could feel my heart beating out a staccato in my chest, it was going that fast," she panted, sighing as he began undoing the buttons.

"Just relax, Thalia. Breathe in and out," he pressed a chilly kiss to her shoulder, unhooking the hook and eye and allowing the zipper to be fully open. "Better?"

"Better," she said softly, pushing off the wall. "Can you do that thing where you kissed my shoulder. I really enjoyed it."

Kissing her shoulder again, she sighed softly, offering a near silent "Thank you". Turning to face him, she asked, "Can I change out of this in your room?"

"Sure."

Entering his room, he turned on the light, turning back around to see her shimmy out of the dress. "That was fast," he noted, picking the dress up off the floor. As he did that, she pulled on one of the shirts hanging from his dresser and a pair of boxers, climbing into bed and falling asleep. He laughed softly, slowly changing into his pajamas and crawling in next to her. "As was that."

~G.A.M.E.~

Waking from a pleasant dream, Donnie felt Thalia pull from his arms, running her fingers through her hair. "What is it?"

"I need a drink," she mumbled in reply. Shifting out of bed, she opened the door and stepped out.

"Wait for me," he called out softly, following her downstairs to the kitchen. Illuminating the room to a warm, dim glow, she reached for two glasses. They silently filled their cups, downing their contents and about to head back to bed when he heard a soft rustling. When someone rounded the corner, he pulled Thalia along with him against the wall, placing a hand over her mouth.

"Stay silent," he mouthed. She nodded, and a figure slunk through the kitchen. Beginning to shake, she pulled away from him, pulling the knife sharpener from the knife rack. Making a silent motion to the alarm a few steps away, she counted down, and when she reached one, he ran and hit the panic button, causing the alarms to come to life, shrieking incessantly. Tossing the sharpener into the air, she came up, spinning the intruder around and bashing the heavy handle against their temple, making them crumple to the ground.

"Call the police," she replied shakily, the lights above her coming to life. "Donnie, go. Now!"

Startled, he's momentarily frightened by her sudden onset of leadership and command. Hell, she just orchestrated an assault on intruders that had given them time to call authorities. The words are passing his lips in a blur; he's mainly focused on her, standing in a pair of his boxers and a form-fitting shirt with a look of calm determination on her face, a look that easily tells him that she could've killed the person without a second thought. The way that time seems to slow down, and he studies her every feature: fingers wrapped tightly around the metal rod of her makeshift weapon, chest heaving slightly at the amount of adrenaline likely racing quickly throughout her body, steam coming from her mouth at the slight panting she'd taken up. Electricity danced along her hair, causing a slow motion display of her beginning to transform. And then, everything snapped back, and she dropped her weapon, falling to her knees and beginning to shake uncontrollably. Hanging up the phone, he's immediately at her side, pulling her into his arms and trying to calm her.

"Thalia, breathe," he whispered to her, but her shaking only got worse, causing her hands to spark slightly. Looking her in the eyes, her pupils were dilated immensely and she breathed shallowly. Looking down, she touched a few fingertips to the inside of her thigh, and they returned speckled with blood. Noticing the blood, he noticed a trickle of it slowly making its way down her leg. "Thalia, just breathe. The police are coming, it'll be okay," he assured her. Ian's footfalls were coming towards them and now Ian's in his face, asking questions that come too fast for him to answer.

"Sweetheart, look at me," he says to her, snapping his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. When she doesn't respond (he knows at some point he said, "I already tried that" to Ian, to no avail), he swears. "She's going into shock." Ian takes her gently into his arms, lifting her feet off the ground. "Get me a blanket to keep her warm."

Standing, he didn't make it far when another person enters the kitchen, presumably with the currently unconscious intruder. The intruder charges at him, and his hands don't even touch the person when a gunshot rips through the air. Ward stood behind the intruder, gun back wherever he hid it. Police come in through the door, followed by paramedics. As the intruders were cuffed and taken out (the event blurs through his mind that they're both still alive; the detail the police miss being the clothing they wore was, without a doubt, Hydra fatigues), a redhead paramedic bent down to shine a light in Thalia's eyes.

"Miss Quinn? Thalia, can you hear me?" She put her penlight down, pressing her gloved fingers to Thalia's wrist. "High but weak heart rate, clammy skin, dilated pupils..."

"Thalia has anemic tachycardia," Ian mutters, and the redhead sees the blood, calling for a stretcher.

"Well even with a medical condition like hers, her heartbeat is still much higher than normal," she informs him. When she's up, they're leaving.

And then they're in the hospital. At some point it vaguely crosses his mind that he probably needs to slow down and think about how he actually  _got there_. When he does, he hears the low drone of the television mounted on the wall. "The news is going to be all over this in the morning," Ian mutters.

Donnie nods. "Yeah, no kidding."

The two sit in relatively peaceful quiet, standing and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. They're led to a room, where Thalia is somehow sleeping ("We stabilized her and gave her a sedative to calm her") and the heart monitor is beeping in time to her normal beat again. "How long are we gonna be waiting?"

"Well, her blood panel should be back any moment now. So this won't be a long wait," the nurse assured them. Taking seats at the still uncomfortable chairs, they saw a nurse deliver their doctor a set of papers. "Here it is."

"Well, due to this," the doctor looked at the pages, "she was so scared from having to defend herself in her own home, when she rendered the assailant incapacitated, she went into stress-related shock."

"What about the blood on her leg?"

"Now that was kind of tricky. Based on previous medical history, it was noted she had irregular menstrual cycles, so we first assumed she had started this month's cycle. But after closer examination, a nurse noticed she had bruising on her stomach, likely from accidentally clipping the kitchen counter, which fortunately wasn't the cause of the spotting. The spotting was determined to be not harmful." Sighing in relief, Donnie kissed her forehead. "It was classified as breakthrough bleeding."

Ian frowned. "What's that?"

"You don't know what that is?"

"I'm not a doctor. Thalia was in that field." Ian yawned, waving a hand over in Donnie's direction. "And genius over there is an engineer, not a doctor. So please, make this simple for the two geniuses here who have not a damn clue what you're talking about."

The doctor suddenly had a annoyed look on his face. "She began to spot. The hormones that regulate her cycle built up and released after the onset of stress. Nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," Ian sighed.

"Now, we do also want to keep her here and run a physical on her, run some tests." The doctor shut the file, setting it in a holder outside the door. "Make sure the damage from her injuries is healed."

"What kind of tests?"

"Well, a physical for green lighting normal exercise, a blood test, testing the uterine lining for any medical reason for the missing periods. Those are the basic three brought to light. Any other problems?"

"Well she's anemic and I'm wondering if she skips periods and then gets them really heavy, would it make her anemia worse?"

"That will be answered during the second test."

"And I'd like to keep some of her guards here when we leave."

"Alright," the doctor nodded. "The gynecologist won't be here until about nine and the other doctors needed won't be here until at least after then, so she'll stay here until all the tests are done. You guys are free to leave."

"I was wondering if I could stay, Mister Quinn."

"Donnie, they'll be running tests the majority of the time you're here. You'll hardly ever see her."

"What if I want him here?" Thalia asked, drawing attention to the bed. "He saved my life, Dad. Those guys had guns. Had he not pulled me up against the wall, I may be on another operating table, with two  _more_  holes in me."

"Well what if he has time-sensitive projects that need to be completed in an orderly fashion?" Ian crossed his arms. "I know you want him here, sweetheart, but he has his own life to get back to."

"It's not that--"

"It's you have a job you need to do, and you don't have sick or vacation. You haven't worked for me long enough to acquire those."

"Yes, sir." Turning to Thalia with a smile, he said, "See you at lunch?"

"Sounds great," she yawned. "I'm going back to sleep."

"We're leaving. I love you," Donnie pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I love you too," she said softly. "Go work for a living."

"Really? I don't see you with a job," he snorted.

"Because I run a portion of the business. I'm a CEO. Just waking up and breathing means I'm working. Which is awful because I had to work when I was in the hospital," she frowned. "I digress. See you in a while."

~*~

A nurse knocked on the door, rousing Thalia from her light sleeping. "Miss Quinn, the first doctor is here."

She slid out of bed. "Great, I get to get out of bed and have the inside of my uterus scraped. Sounds fun."

"I hear that endometrial biopsies are supposed to be quite painless."

"Keyword 'supposed' to be. But I'm already in pain. I think they didn't bet on one of the patients being subjected to it while spotting."

"That does pose a small issue. I'm sure the doctor won't mind getting her hands bloody."

"First of all, gross. I'm already grossed out by the idea that I'm exacerbating my anemia just by this, and second of all, yuck!"

"My apologies. Your father said that you had medical experience, so I figured you wouldn't be as grossed out by blood as some would think."

"Well, some would also think that with the amount of blood I've seen over the past few months, I would get a little queasy around it. I mean I watched myself nearly bleed out in someone's basement. That usually puts a ton of stuff into perspective."

"How are you so fearless when it comes to talking about that?"

"I think it's a matter of just squashing it down and just talking about it. Really no need to detail."

The nurse cocked her head to the side. "You are incredibly lucky, Miss Quinn. Your father loves you, your fiancé dotes on you. You do look awfully young to be engaged, though."

"I don't really find it strange." Entering the brightly lit exam room, she shut the door behind her, but the door opened and shut behind her again. Sneaking a glance in the mirror, she saw the doctor reading a file.

Shutting the manila file, the doctor turned to her. "Let's get this started." She held up a needle. "I will need to administer an anesthesia for the biopsy. Is that alright, Thalia?" Quickly, the doctor added, "Before the procedure, I ask that you remove any jewelry for medical purposes."

"Sure," she nodded, removing her necklace and ring and adding them to a small dish. Feeling the prick of the needle in her arm, she climbed into the chair, the effects of the sedative already kicking in as she fell asleep.

~*~

"So, any answers that you can give me?"

"Actually, yes. She seems to suffer from oligomenorrhea. And while the cause is unknown, if I made an educated guess, her impressively toned physique is the reason behind it."

Ian folded his arms together. "Why?"

"Excessive exercising can actually throw off hormone levels and cause infrequency. And at her age with her body fat percentage, it would make sense that when it's time for her body to start, her body has to build up the hormones until there's enough to actually start her menstrual cycle."

"Is she ready to go?"

"She's cleaning up," the doctor pointed to the bathroom. "She should be out any moment."

Ian smiled as she emerged from the bathroom. "Sweetheart, how do you feel?"

"Fine." She shrugged. "Why?"

"I've got a gift for you," he said, moving out of the way for Donnie to come marching in. Thalia beamed, kissing him softly.

"Hi, fiancé," she said softly.

"And I to you," he replied. "So, to lunch?"

"I'll pick up your prescriptions. Go have fun."

"Dad letting me leave to have a day on the town?" Thalia wove her fingers through Donnie's. "Must be a special occasion."

"Oh, it's not like it's your birthday today or anything," Donnie shot back sarcastically. "Come on, I have a fantastic idea for lunch."

~*~

"So tell me, fiancé," Thalia leaned her head back, "what do you have in mind?"

"You are looking at the guy with a little money in his pocket," Donnie beamed, and Thalia laughed. "I finished one of my lower projects, and commission was four grand."

"You have four thousand dollars to your name? Good job, lune de ma vie," she clapped. "So what does this have to do with me?"

"Can I not treat my fiancée to lunch? Especially comfort food in her time of need." Walking along the beach, he scanned the street. "Now if I could only remember where it was."

"A beach date?" Thalia laughed. "How romantic. If only I actually craved it. No period, lune de ma vie."

"Well, that's a relief." Donnie pulled her in. "So how about some ice cream?"

"And public displays of affection?" Thalia smiled. "My, my, you're going all out, aren't you?"

"Your dad bought a strip of the beach." He shrugged. "Not exactly public when it's now private."

"Dad..." she placed her head on his chest. "Well, how about we go home? Since obviously I can't enjoy a decent outing with you without him being all overprotective of me."

"In all honesty, I'm not too keen on being out in public," Donnie offered weakly. "After all, in some parts of the world, I'm still a wanted fugitive."

"You're the future son in law andfiancé of two different citizens of Malta. Diplomatic immunity is now under your belt." Smiling slyly, she added, "Along with some other things."

Donnie's face began to flame. "What are you fishing for?"

"Some bad intentions," she said lowly, sauntering down the sidewalk.

Donnie began to chase her down the sidewalk. "Just wait a second, you can't say that!"

"I'd like to see you try and make me," she called out to him. Running down the sidewalk, she laughed as he began chasing after her, his feet pounding the pavement after her. Suddenly her vision began blacking out, replaced with blurred buildings and empty sidewalks.

"Look out!"

Being jarred from her reality, a violent spasm shook her, and she opened her eyes, noticing how the world was suddenly sideways. "Oh Jesus, Thalia!" Donnie finally caught up to her, his shoes skidding along the pavement as he came to a stop. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"You just collapsed," he exclaimed in a rush of air. Coming to her feet, Donnie pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips against the rubbed raw area of her face and hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded, hissing at the way the air irritated her cheekbone. "Let's go home before I start to scare people."

The familiar black van waited at the end of the street, and when they climbed in, he reached for her chin, tilting her face to look at the scrape. "You did quite the number on yourself. What happened?"

"I don't know, I just slipped into something and... Blacked out, I guess?"

"I think we need to pay a visit to your aunt. Maybe she could fix this."

"I agree." When her cheek iced over, she smiled against his shoulder. "Thank you for taking me out."

"You're welcome," he replied softly, his lips curving into a smile. Feeling strangely content, he wrapped his arm around her. "Thalia?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	28. Our Good Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the holidays, I'll be updating quite a bit. So, happy holidays!

Sunlight danced across his hair, making it a warm chocolate in the morning light. Propping herself up on her elbows, she watched him sleep peacefully. Stretching his arms above his head, he ruffled his hair, turning onto his side. "Happy late birthday," he yawned, rolling over on top of her.

"Oh God, get off me," she laughed, trying to shy away from his kisses. "No, no, you haven't brushed your teeth! Stop it!" Thrashing around, she finally kissed him. "Your breath is still awful," she told him between kisses.

"Maybe some breakfast and coffee will fix it," he suggested sleepily.

"Sometimes I wonder if you love coffee more than me," she teased, and he pulled the blankets up to her waist.

"You've discovered my secret," Donnie exclaimed in mock horror. "I am in love with coffee. I see it every morning."

"Ha ha," she laughed sarcastically. When he stood, she frowned. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back," he promised. When he left, Ian knocked on the door, entering the room with a box tucked under his arm.

"Happy late birthday, Thalia," Ian beamed. "I found this in my office."

"What is it?" Thalia took the glossy black box in her hands, turning it over. "I've never seen it."

"It's nothing my company's made before." Ian shrugged. "I would have at least heard about something like this."

When Donnie's silhouette began to make it's way down the hall, Thalia looked up, breaking into a laugh. "Lune de ma vie, you didn't have to make me breakfast."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do, you," he replied indignantly. "Do you know how heavy this is?"

"Do you know what this is?"

"A guest stopped by at the hospital and gave it to you while you were under."

"Did you see what it was?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot that being engaged meant we gave up all notions of privacy." Donnie kissed her forehead. "No, I don't know what it is."

"Then I will eat this and go to pick up my prescription."

"I've got that covered. As for your orders, the doctor said you need to put on some weight. You are eighteen and weigh under a hundred and forty pounds."

Spearing some scrambled eggs, she said, "That's not my fault!"

"Carroll said you've gained a total of five pounds since you got shot. You've been on life-support, strict bed rest and a no physical activity ban for the past two months and all you have to show for it is you are now an even hundred and thirty-three pounds."

"So you're gonna do what? Force Donnie to keep cooking for me?" Turning to him, she said, "Not that I mind."

"Finish your breakfast," Ian ruffled her hair. "You've got to get ready for a doctor's appointment."

"Another one? Really? I'm not going to disappear off the earth, Dad."

"This is for your physical." Ian stood. "So get out of bed."

"I spent my birthday in the hospital and I have to go back?" Thalia tossed her head back and whined. "But I don't want to!"

"It's not up for debate, Thalia. Move."

"Fine." Quickly finishing her food, she wiped her mouth, turning to Donnie and saying, "It was delicious, lune de ma vie."

"Much obliged. Now if you don't mind, I have projects to complete and you have an appointment."

"Don't remind me."  
~*~  
"I hate secondhand information," Coulson spat. "Absolutely hate it."

"Who forgot to restock the sugar jar this morning?" Daisy teased. "What's wrong?"

"I'm starting to regret pulling Zeke," Coulson answered. "Now we've resorted to buying fake paparazzi."

"You sent our agents out there as paparazzi to flash mob her house?"

"Like I said, not one of my brightest moments."

"Anyways?"

"Our agents are picking up chatter that there was some Avengers related interference on her behalf. Pepper visited Thalia in the hospital and gave her some gift." Coulson shook his head. "And nobody knows what it is."

"That's useful."

Coulson scowled. "You're telling me." 

"That was sarcasm," Daisy put a smile on her face. "Maybe you can go over and find out. Thalia let you into the house last time." Her smile then fell. "Unlike me."

"I also knew everyone else was gone. It won't be as easy with Ian and Donnie there." Coulson sighed. "It's gonna take her a while to trust you again, Skye. She saw you with the gun, not as one of Hyde's mad science projects."

Daisy opened her mouth, but Coulson stopped her. "It may hurt for a while, but you're gonna have to let her come to terms with it. I did the same thing with you."

She fell silent. "Yes sir. And by the way, it's still Daisy."

Coulson made a fist. "Damn it!"

~G.A.M.E.~  
When she stepped through the front door, Donnie paused his movie. "So how'd it go?"

"I have to go back in a week," Thalia replied shakily. Immediately Donnie stood, noticing her scared expression and wrapping her in his arms.

"What is it?"

"They said that my stomach keeps getting more bloated and they don't know why," she answered thickly. "And it's really scaring me."

"Let me see."

"Donnie, I'm fine--"

"Thalia, I would notice something like that. Let me look."

Sighing, she unzipped her jacket, pulling up her shirt. Pressing his fingertips against her stomach, he gently pressed along the waistband of her jeans, stopping next to her hip. "Whatever it is just moved under my fingers, so if I had to guess, it's probably gas."

"Well, you aren't a doctor, so I have to take your opinion with a grain of salt."

"I am perfectly fine at it--"

"What's your degree in, again?"

"Shut up," he laughed. "So I was watching a movie and wanted to know if you wanted to watch it with me. I'll get the heating pad set up."

"Sure," she nodded. "Where'd Dad go?"

"Went to go argue with the pharmaceutical company about your prescription. They recalled your medicine while you were out."

"Why?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You can go talk to him while everything gets set up."

Nodding, she took off towards his office, pushing the door open. "This is a medicine that is critical to my daughter's well being. I don't understand why you can't tell me why it's suddenly been recalled," Ian exclaimed. "It's a damn nightmare is what it is!"

Looking up, he saw her. "Thank you," he breathed. "Thalia, would you talk to this woman and ask her why your medicine has been recalled?"

Taking the phone, she pressed it to her ear. "This is Thalia."

"Yes, Miss Quinn, your father was being quite a nosy nuisance about the matter. I had to keep reminding him that there was doctor-patient confidentiality."

"He can do that sometimes," Thalia laughed, which made Ian raise an eyebrow. "But he told me and I'm genuinely curious. Why was my medicine recalled? Last I checked it was just a birth control pill."

"Your medicine hasn't actually been recalled, but we got orders from the doctor you see saying she wants to do a follow up appointment next week on the eighteenth, and to put the prescription on hold until then."

"Why?"

"She said she was worried about your distended abdomen as a result of your... Accident," the woman replied nervously. "So she scheduled another appointment, called the pharmacy,  _personally_ , I might add, and said to put the medicine on hold until she figured out what was going on."

"So I won't have any news or prescription until next week?"

"I'm afraid so, Miss Quinn."

"Thank you," she replied, ending the call. Handing the phone back, she relayed the information, seeing his face slowly turn red.

"Goddamn doctors," he spat. "Always trying to milk me for money."

"Whoa, calm down," Thalia replied. "You  _never_ swear. What the hell is going on?"

"They're taking advantage of the situation," he snarled. "First, an endometrial biopsy that you never received--"

"What?"

"Turns out it wasn't needed, so I ended up paying for something that wasn't ever done. Normally I'd ignore it when it came to gardening, but you are my daughter, a living, breathing, human being."

"I can handle a few government toolbags, Dad," she snorted.

"No, but then it's the ridiculous hospital bill that came back as a result, and after comparing it to the hospital stay when Donnie got shot, I found out they jacked up the prices for your stay by thirty percent simply because of me. It's a damn travesty is what it is."

"Dad, calm down," she sighed. "You're stressing yourself out."

"If I have to, I will go into politics and rectify this God-awful problem."

"I'll give you money for it, Dad."

"That's not the issue; I have no problem handling things like that. The issue is they're trying to charge you thirty percent more for your stay than they did for Donnie's."

"Well we were also in Europe when his injuries happened." Thalia placed a hand on his shoulder. "And they use euros."

"I'm going to be in a very bad, probably very drunken mood. You may not want to be here."

"Then I'll be watching a movie with my fiancé," Thalia pointed a finger outside the door. "Happy drinking."

~G.A.M.E.~

Looking down, he felt slightly amused at how Thalia was nodded off in his lap, heating pad wrapped around her stomach. Upon hearing glasses clinking together, he craned his head around. Ian stumbled out of his office, obviously drunk. "Stupid money grabbers..."

Chuckling softly, Donnie pulled Thalia's hair back, and she wove her fingers through his. "Leave him alone," she muttered. "He said he was going to get drunk, so leave him alone."

"Donnie!"

"He's calling for me."

"Don't."

"Donald!"

"I have to," he said in reply, slowly moving out from under her. Draping a blanket over her, he moved into the kitchen. Ian leaned on the counter, his head hung. "Yes sir?"

"You love Thalia, don't you?"

"Yes sir?" Donnie cocked his head to the side. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"She needs-- I need someone to be here for her. She's gonna need someone to help her through all she's lost. She needs a companion." He lifted his head. "Is it bad of me to say I don't want you to be human?"

"Like I said, sir, not sure how you mean."

"I did some thinking," Ian slurred. "Thalia, she's--" he swallowed, "--she's gonna live a long time?" He looked confused at his words. "She'll live a while. About as long as her mom. Did you know that powerful Asgardians live up to five thousand years? And she's powerful, Donnie. I've seen what she can do: controlling people, metal. Creating flurries when she gets annoyed." Ian laughed. "Amora told me she can do so much more. She says that when we die, she'll take Thalia to Asgard, to be with the remaining family she has."

"Really?"

"I didn't really think about it until I hit glass five of Craig," Ian slurred again. "But yeah. When you die, she'll leave. But then Amora said something about samsara, reincarnation and such, and I realized that if your face were to ever show up here or there, she would know it's you. She would be searching the galaxy and waiting the rest of her natural life for the chance to see you again." He fell silent. "And it broke my heart."

Neither spoke for some time. "I don't want to stay young for her," Ian said after a while. "The sole responsibility of being a dad is you watch yourself get older as your children do. And I'm not going to wish back the years I never had with her, either. I just want to watch her live while I still live. I'll look at her from my death bed and see a teenager with a lifetime's worth of everything and be perfectly happy. I will die knowing that she'll have a long life ahead of her to experience."

Donnie felt himself sink a little inside. "I think you're done with the alcohol," he said quietly, managing to beat Ian back to his office and locking up the liquor. Ian threw him a dirty look, collapsing into one of his office chairs in defeat.

Heading back into the living room, he saw Thalia get up from the couch. Cleaning up their mess, she tucked things away, turning to see him. "Did you placate him?"

"Yeah, he was ranting drunkenly." Donnie ran a hand through his hair. "Could barely hear what he was going on about. Something about stupid money grabbers?"

Thalia laughed. "Yeah, he's hammered. You ready for bed?"

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "At least we won't wake up with an awful hangover."

She shook her head. "He's got a high tolerance. I doubt he'll have a bad one."

~*~

"You better have gotten her a birthday present," Daisy shot snarkily. "After all, her birthday was a few days ago, wasn't it?"

"Eight days ago. Officially nineteen." Coulson smiled. "Damn, I must be getting old."

"Well hurry up, old man," she said sarcastically. "Ian's on his way back to the house and looks absolutely pissed for some unknown reason."

Knocking on the door, Thalia answered, her face drawn. "Agent Coulson?"

"Heard your birthday was a few days ago," he offered. "So Skye, sorry,  _Daisy_ suggested that I should get you a gift." Handing his gift to her, she opened it. "Brigadeiros; fresh from my guy's bakery in Brazil."

"Thank you, sir," she answered curiously, taking a bite from one of the chocolate treats. "These are delicious."

"Sweets before eleven in the morning? That'll spoil your appetite," he smiled wryly.

"No it won't," she said to him with a mouthful of her Brazilian truffle. "Carroll said I need to have about six small meals a day. So I won't overfill my stomach and get sick."

"Can I come in?"

"Afraid I can't oblige, Agent," she shook her head. "Dad's on his way back. I have taken a fondness to you and wouldn't want someone to pump you with lead." Falling quiet, she added, "And because there's about six guns pointed at you from varying angles that will shoot you if you cross the threshold."

"That bad, huh?"

"For a while it'll be, yeah." She grabbed her bag. "Hey, can you give me a lift?"

"Where to?"

"Doctor's office. I have a check-up today."

"Sure. Hop in."

Climbing in, she buckled her seatbelt. "Coulson, I look okay, don't I?"

"Why wouldn't you? What's up?"

"The doctor told me at the last appointment that she doesn't know why my abdomen is so bloated. I don't look bloated, do I?"

"If I answer the question right, am I gonna get hurt?"

She whined softly. "I'm sure everything will be fine," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And if it's not, you owe me ten bucks," he added teasingly. "The price of a good coffee."

"You're on," she smiled. "Coulson, take me away!"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Sitting in his chair, Ian winced at the sound of the phone ringing. "Hello?"

"So my results came in," Thalia said drolly. "Still inconclusive."

"You're kidding me."

"They asked me if I was pregnant. Which I found funny in some weird way, but I said no, so they're still confused. But on the mildly bright side, they said they're calling this fancy doctor in from Russia who's an expert in strange and unusual cases like mine." Sensing his apparent distress, she laughed. "Don't worry. They said since the answer to this couldn't be discovered by any of their best efforts, they aren't going to charge us for this next visit."

"How charitable."

"An answer is on its way. Just a question, but you haven't managed to piss off anyone in Russia? Old KGB spies, Red Room, Leviathan, Hydra?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I'd just like assurance that this Russian doctor won't try to shoot an air bubble into my arm and kill me over something stupid you did."

"No, sweetheart, just the Hydra in America and Cuba."

"Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence."

When she hung up the phone, he sat back. Thalia entered the room, and his jaw dropped. "Jesus, Thalia. Now I understand why they asked."

"Gee,  _thanks_!" Sitting down, she looked down at her slightly bulging stomach. "Do you think it could be possible? Me being pregnant?"

"No, Tally, it's not," Ian shook his head. "Lorelei said so."

"Is it bad that I wish I was so I wouldn't have something awful doing this to me? I mean, in all instances, I'd take being pregnant then having something like a massive buildup of scar tissue pressing against my stomach."

"That's also very serious, Thalia."

"While that's true, I would obviously be way happier that I'd be theoretically pregnant than having an intestinal obstruction pressing against my abdominal wall." She stood, letting out a soft grunt and pressing her hand to her stomach. "Whatever this mystery is, it's messing with my center of gravity. I don't like this."

"Another week and we'll know for sure," Ian offered sarcastically.

"Dad, you know better than to enter the game this late with your sarcasm."

"And you have to honor where it came from," he smiled. "Don't you have a fiancé to go check up on?"

She scowled. "Don't patronize me. If Mom was working in a lab at ungodly hours of the day, you'd be making sure she was still alive, too."

~*~

Looking up from his project, Donnie saw Thalia enter the lab and was immediately on his feet. "You aren't supposed to be down here," he told her mockingly, trying to shepherd her back into the elevator. "Your dad's orders."

"Well, I'm still inconclusive, so you can deal with it."

"Thalia, this is me speaking for me. I don't want you down here when we still don't know what's wrong."

"I have ten bucks that it's an intestinal obstruction."

"What's that?"

"A building growth of scar tissue that sometimes happens during and after surgeries." Thalia placed a hand on her swollen stomach. "And it's currently pressing against my abdominal wall."

"Wait, how did you even reach the conclusion that's an intentional obtusion or whatever?"

"Intestinal obstruction," she corrected him gently, "and I found out when they ran a CT scan and found it," she took his hand, placing it on the swell in her stomach, "right here."

"What's gonna happen?"

"I have to go back to the hospital and get it surgically removed," she curled her lip. "Which is going to piss my dad off tremendously unless Carroll wants to do it here."

"Please ask her. If I have to let you back into the hospital for one more thing I may just lose it."

"I'm sure she'll say yes," Thalia answered. "My skin doesn't scar, well at least not anymore, so she'll probably be ecstatic to study Asgardian scar tissue."

"She seems a bit committed to the cause."

"And for once, I don't mind." She smiled, pressing her lips to his. "Is there any way to convince you to take a break?"

"No convincing required." Cupping her face, he kissed her briefly, reaching down and setting her on the edge of the table. "Hold the thought. I'll be right back." He took her hands, placing them over her eyes. When he stepped away, she kept her hands over her eyes, only moving them when he returned, saying, "You can move your hands now."

Moving her hands, she let out a soft gasp at what he held in his hands. A carefully constructed bowstaff balanced in his hands, the dark metal gleaming under the lights. "Lune de ma vie, you didn't have to."

"I was messing around a week or so ago," he started. "And I accidentally cut out a longer beam than I needed, so while I was fixing the issue, I fixed this one up."

Taking the staff in her hands, she began twirling it through her fingers, spinning it around her. "It's nicely balanced."

"Thank you."

Squeezing the staff, she hit the end against a pile of scrap metal, watching it become encased in ice. "Amazing!" she laughed, twirling it over her head. Catching the end, he encased it in ice. "It seems to handle electricity and temperature transfer really well."

"Yeah, it's a beryllium alloy." He beamed. "It works really well with thermal and electrical conductivity. They use this to make rockets and shuttles. You know, because it's one of the best superconductors out there and because it stands the temperatures of space."

"This was really sweet," she smiled. "And this stuff is really rare and expensive. It must've cost a fortune."

"Well, I get paid one every few weeks, so I could swing it." Shrugging his shoulders, he added, "And I figured because you're immune to all known earthly ailments, you wouldn't have a problem being around it a lot."

"You can't?"

"I can, Lia. There was beryllium in the weather machine. When I got struck with lightning, I was holding the machine. It's just some people get beryllium poisoning when they're around it too much."

"'Lia'?" Thalia pouted her lip sweetly. "Aw, you found a nickname for me!" She sat up, crossing her ankles. "I find it acceptable." Hopping off the table, she straightened out her clothes. "I'm gonna find Carroll. Her and Amora are probably geeking out over each other." Grabbing the staff and the front of his shirt, she pressed their lips together. "And I'll find  _you_ later."

~*~

"And there!" Amora exclaimed. "All done."

"How is that all done?" Thalia asked. "How did you remove a blockage of scar tisssue?"

"Worry not, niece. Transmutation does wonders for things like that. Carroll didn't wish to cut you open again, so I showed her what transmutation can do. Which an example of that would be changing that blockage into digested food. Quite simple, really."

"It doesn't require anything else?"

"Well, you can change anything into anything, as long as you have an idea of what you're changing it into."

"Well Dad will be particularly pleased, I hope."

"Your father has grown increasingly agitated," Carroll mused. "This will calm his nerves a bit."

"Do you know why?"

"Do you want me to seek answers?" Amora tied her hair up. "Ian's thoughts are flimsily shielded."

"No," Thalia shook her head, picking up her staff. "I'll ask him myself."

"Your lover has made you a staff?" Amora took the staff in her hands. "No doubt to channel your abilities in combat. Beryllium alloy, correct? Superconductive metal with one of the highest melting point among earthly metals. Combined with a different metal so that it can return to your hand in combat. Much like Thor's Mjolnir." She returned Thalia her staff. "A worthy gift, indeed."

Pressing a hand to her tender stomach, Thalia grimaced. "Why does it still hurt?"

"Much like when you bruise a bone, it's still going to swell and hurt. The pain half will be a little longer before fading completely."

"Thank you," Thalia said to Amora. "I'm grateful we can put the whole problem behind us."

"It must be discussed at some point, niece," Amora placed her hand on Thalia's shoulder. "You bottle yourself up, same as your lover. Then you scold him for being the same way. It isn't healthy."

Thalia twisted her ring on her finger. "I'll talk about it when I'm ready, Aunt Amora."

She nodded. "As you wish."  
~*~  
Scrubbing dishes in a harsh, circular pattern, Thalia washed dish after dish, trying to banish the memories that assaulted her. One after another, it began to form a crescendo in her stomach, sharp and stabbing pains that slowly took her mind away.

_"Help..."_

She furiously shook her head, continuing to scrub her dishes.

_"Stay awake," Ward snapped his fingers in her face, the sound echoing in her head. "I still owe you a debt."_

_"Not for very much longer, I'm afraid," she tried to laugh, but instead coughed up blood, the ache in her middle starting to grow dull. As he wiped it away, she slowly began to feel warm, her eyes closing in content. Being swept up into Ward's arms, she opened her eyes about halfway._

_"Hey, almost there," he said quickly. "Can you stay awake for a little while longer?"_

_"I'm not sure--" Sleep claimed her again, and this time, she felt a kind of permanence to it, like a long-lasting sleep. It was gentle and safe, much like being wrapped in Donnie's arms, and she grew faintly worried at why she felt this way until she heard a soft voice._

_"Thalia, dear, what are you up to?"_

_She looked around. "Grandma?"_

_"Thalia, I miss you," Vivian said softly. "Why are you here now?"_

_"I wanted to see you," Thalia answered. "Why are you so upset?"_

_"You're too young," she wept softly._

_"For what?"_

_"I thought you'd be older when I'd see you again." Vivian pressed a frail hand to her cheek, and a burning pain flared to life in her stomach._

_"Oh God, Grandma Vivian, please stop!" Thalia fell to her knees, tears of pain tracing paths down her cheeks. "It hurts!" Wailing, she removed her hands, finding them to be covered in blood. "Why are you doing this?"_

_"I can't make you stay, sweetheart," Vivian's voice broke, "but you can stay with me, if you want to."_

_"Why would I do that?"_

_"You're dying, sweetheart." Vivian clasped her hands together. "You've been the victim of violence that was retribution for an action not your own."_

_"What was it?"_

_"Your father was a heartbroken man," she replied, "and in the time you were gone, he did things, bad things, that he thought would get you back. And the people that he did these bad things to were outraged that the horrific things he did brought you back."_

A sickening  _crack_ filled the air, and she held a broken plate in her hand. "Thalia," Donnie said softly, taking her hands in his own. "Put it down gently." Slowly releasing the plate, it fell into the sink in jagged shards. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed, leaning against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to die," she said softly. "When I got shot, I wanted to die so much. I wanted to not hurt anymore."

"Hold on, slow down," he pulled her into a chair. "Are you talking about when--"

"When I got shot? Yes," she admitted wistfully. "When I laid on those stairs, I wanted more than nothing," tears began to build in her eyes, and she felt her voice crack, "I wanted more than nothing than to die. I didn't want to hurt anymore, I didn't want the pain. I wanted to be rid of everything I had so I wouldn't hurt anymore, and I almost did. I almost lost everything over something as stupid as--"

"Thalia, that's not stupid at all. You were dying and wanted to not hurt."

"I almost threw this away," she whispered.

"You almost died, Thalia," he whispered back. "Trust me, I wanted to not hurt, too."

"I've felt so bad," she whimpered. "Wanting to give this up over something I would now consider to be an ache?"

"It's okay," he assured her, hugging her tightly and kissing her forehead. She felt herself grow somewhat calmer, him surrounding her with a fresh, icy smell and slow, content heartbeat that she'd always love.

"Donnie?"

"What is it?"

"Do you want to take a nap for a bit?" She pulled back, looking lachrymose with a small smile on her face. "I'm suddenly exhausted."

"Sure," he nodded, standing. "Anything to calm you down, my love."

~G.A.M.E.~

 _What is the Midgardian expression for showing knowledge of something's inevitability yet people continue to not listen despite your advisories and warnings?_ Amora made a content noise in her throat.  _Ah yes. 'I told you so'._

_Shut up._

_I'd like to see you make me, niece._  Amora beamed.  _You see, I am normally not one to be taken for a fool. Much less by my own family other than my twit of a sister--_

_Your 'twit of a sister' is why I'm alive._

_Crediting your mother's whoring about for your existence? I know you are not one to be rude to people, but that is just satire, Thalia. Your most cutting usage of it to date._

_I am not crediting her whoring about--_

_Wrong, niece. When you were conceived, your mother, in rather honest yet quite crude Midgardian terms, was bored and horny. And while she undoubtedly loves you, you at the time were what she would deem a hindrance. My sister's foolish plans of ruling Yggdrasil were 'dampened when she realized she was pregnant with you'._ Amora frowned.  _Pardon my tone, niece, but I am simply quoting and paraphrasing your mother's words during her pregnancy. I felt for her, considering the nature of the crime she committed._

_I am a crime?_

_Without a Prophecy hanging over your head, yes, you are. Half-breeds are illegal in Asgard. The minimum sentence carries death for all members of the crime._

_So I'm obviously something special if I'm not dead yet._

_Quite correct, niece._ Amora nodded.  _Heimdall says you have a Prophecy hanging over you. But one you will not fulfill until you are of age. So you are free to live your life. Marry your lover if you wish._

_That's assuring._

_I can tell when I'm not wanted. Enjoy your intimate moments with your betrothed._

_We aren't being intimate, we're napping!_

_Your deeper thoughts wish otherwise. My my, the things you wish him to do to you... Wow, it seems to be that tormenting such fragile areas is a family trait. Do you have him chill the tender areas with icy kisses?_

_Out!_ Thalia furiously shook her head. Amora laughed in her room, and Thalia silently cursed the woman's lightheartedness of the entire situation.

_You are highly amusing, Thalia. Perhaps you could vocalize your... frustrations to your lover. There's not a doubt in my mind that he wouldn't jump at the chance. He does miss you quite terribly, niece._

_And you do realize that he, as a human being, has a right to his privacy?_

_And you do realize that you, a half-human female has a right to be just as sexual as your lover. If not, more. I, through my centuries of practicing Asgardian medicine, have found that women are far more sensual than men._

_Thank you for stating the obvious._

_You do not sound pleased at this fact. Why?_

_Countless people know this, yet refuse to let us._

_Be overtly sexual as men are?_ Amora scoffed aloud.  _How preposterous!_

_Keep on being blasted with information about Midgard, Aunt Amora. I have things to do._

_None of which I will assume are your lover, so I digress. Until later, niece._

When her mind had gone silent, Thalia sat up from the couch, finding herself to be alone. Standing, she quickly cleaned up, speeding to her room to grab her towel. Immediately she shut herself in the bathroom.  _Aunt Amora?_

_What do you need, niece?_

_Where's everyone at?_

_Your father's in his office, Donald is in the lab. Why?_

_Can you get my dad out of the house? I want to have a nice evening with my fiancé._

_The time frame for that has passed. Ian has himself sequestered  in his office. I can however, plant a small suggestion in Donald's head for him to come and see you._

_No, never mind. I think I have it covered._

_Then shall I cast an enchantment to sound-proof your room?_

_No!_

_Then make up your mind, niece. I'd hate for you to end up causing a scene because your frustration got the better of you._

When Amora's mind faded out of hers, Thalia twisted the knob on the bathroom door, with no success of opening it. "Now what the hell," she muttered softly, jiggling the knob and twisting it again. "Damn it, Amora, open the door!"

 _The perfect plan,_ Amora told her smugly.  _A broken doorknob you can't fix so he'll  have to come to your rescue._

_I am an independent woman capable of doing things myself, dammit!_

_But I know you, Thalia. While you are like that, you also find it quite arousing for your lover to be able to fix things because then you two share a brief kiss that could easily, with your levels of frustration, become something more. And trust me, it will._

_You will pay for this._

_I'll take a thank you for this transaction._

Her phone began buzzing outside the bathroom. "Come on," she whined. Limply twisting the knob again, she released it as someone knocked on her bedroom door.

"Thalia?"

"Donnie?" She pounded the heel of her hand against the door. "Can you help me please?"

"You can't open the door?"

"The doorknob is jammed and I can't get it open. I've tried everything."

"Hang tight for a minute." He knelt in front of the door, sticking a few tools into the knob and messing with the tumblers. As the lock began opening, he said, "So how did you get yourself stuck in there?"

"Through no fault of my own, I can assure you." Thalia could see the smug smirk lighting up his face. "I was put in here against my will."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," she answered exasperatedly. "I'm tired and in need of some serious relaxing and this is about to be the straw that breaks the camel's back." She pressed her forehead against the door. "And after everything that's happened in the past few months, I've been pulled into a taut wire and just need..."

When the final piece of the lock sprung open, he pushed the door open, backing Thalia away from the entryway. Jiggling the tools out of the knob, he set them on the counter. "Thalia, it'll be okay," he said softly. "Where is it worst?"

She looked up at him, silently noting how timid he looked, an expression she hadn't seen on his face in ages. "What?"

"Where is the tension worst?" he asked again. "Is it in your shoulders?" Staying silent, he reached to touch her, and she shied away, breathing heavily.

"Please don't touch me," she said panicky. "My skin is crawling, and I don't want you accidentally getting thrown back if I accidentally electrocute you."

"I'll be fine."

"Damn it, I mean it!" The lights flickered and she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I feel too wound up."

"Thalia, look at me," he said slowly, and her eyes immediately met his, which were now trained on her, his body language showing his gentle approach to the situation. "You need to tell me what's wrong so we can try and fix it."

Her hands began sparking and she balled them into fists. "I'm fine."

"You're obviously not," he stated worriedly. "I've known you long enough to know something's up. What is it?"

Breaking the tension, she took the two steps forward and kissed him. It had been close to two seconds before his hands were on her, running through her hair and along her waist. When her back softly pressed into the door, she broke the kiss, exhaling puffs of steam. "Two months," she panted, "is an incredibly long time."

"Trust me, I know," he laughed softly. Running his thumb along her cheek, he began kissing her face, peppering kisses along her cheekbones and jaw. "I know."

"Enough about me." She played with the strings on his hoodie. "How was your day?"

"Fine." He squeezed her hips, making her yelp and tug on the strings. "Yours?"

"Amassed an abundant amount of sexual frustration," she raised an eyebrow suggestively. "No thanks to you."

"That's insulting," he replied with an obviously fake hurt tone. "When I have done nothing. I've been working."

"You aren't working now."

"I can always leave," he offered. "Let you work out your frustrations on your own."

"You are disgusting!" She laughed, shoving him back. "That was a bold move."

"Because you cannot get any more honest than actually admitting you're horny," he smirked, sandwiching her between the door and his chest.

"Let me go!" Thalia whined. "Please?"

"Hm," he said softly. "Maybe."

"Don't you dare," she warned.

"Or what?" he asked mockingly, squaring his gaze with hers. "What will the ferocious Thalia Lorelei Quinn do?"

When her mouth gaped like a trout, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Running her fingertips along his cheek, he pulled back, making her pout. "What was that for?"

"Thalia, I have to get back to work."

"But you'll come back later."

"Don't I always?" he asked sarcastically, kissing her forehead. Trying to open the door, he sighed. "It seems all your doors are having trouble opening," he said to her, putting his forehead on the door.

 _I am ensuring I get a thank you_ ,Amora's snooty tone echoed in Thalia's mind.

_Donnie does have a life of his own, you know._

_I do know._

_This, to anyone else, would seem like you are gearing way too hard to get your niece laid._

_Is it? To me, I'm seeing it as an opportunity for you two to connect and assure each other of the other's presence since your near-death experience._

_Wow, thank you for the philosophical exposition. Excuse me while I go passionately make love to my fiancé_   _with that thought in my mind._

_You are one of the few telepathics I know who can insert sarcasm into their thoughts._

_And that's supposed to be a compliment?_

_I just assumed that you would need to tie true love's knot. Was I wrong to assume this?_

_Why would I need to tie a fishing knot?_

Amora chuckled.  _As intelligent as you are, I am somewhat surprised you don't know a euphemism when you see one. I was on Midgard around the time they invented the figure of speech._

_Yes, I am now painfully aware you were on Midgard sometimes during the Renaissance and during the invention of drama._

_You will thank me one day, niece. Which I am still awaiting my mental token of gratitude._

"I can't open the door," Donnie sighed conclusively. "It's jammed."

"Now do you believe me?"

He stood. "You know who did this."

"She has been giving me mental reminders to tell her 'thank you.'"

"For what?" Thalia cocked her head to the side, giving him a  _you-know-what_  look. "Oh." He held out his hands and began speaking quickly, saying, "I'm not going to pressure you. I just want you to know I know what you're going through, and I'm not going to do anything without your consent."

"Lune de ma vie, I know you won't," she told him sympathetically. "I wanted this to happen on our own time, not anyone else's."

"I now feel really embarrassed," Donnie admitted, his face beginning to turn red.

"You're telling me. I feel like we're being forced to consummate a marriage."

_Don't misconstrue my intentions, niece. I am not trying to make you consummate your relationship._

"Why do you keep blanking out like that?"

Thalia blinked. "Hm? Oh. Just communicating with her."

"I thought you said you weren't telepathic."

"Apparently I am," she shrugged.

"Is that so?" He wrapped his arms around her waist. "What am I thinking right now?"

"Some very inappropriate things that Amora would get a hoot over seeing it in my head."

 _Quite correct,_ Amora laughed.  _I am quite thankful you cannot see what he thinks, for it could bring a blush to your cheeks._

"Hello?" Donnie said softly. She shook her head. "You blanked out again."

"Sorry. I can't do things while she's talking to me yet, so I kinda stand there, like a statue."

Running his fingers along her jaw, he leaned in and kissed her again, leaning into her as he did. Parting briefly, he pressed his forehead to hers, his thumbs tracing frost into her cheekbones.  _I miss you so much, Thalia._

Thalia noticed the thought that he directed at her. _I know you do._

When he heard her soft voice in his mind, he smiled. "And technically, it's been close to three months," he added dryly. "Just a day over eleven weeks."

"Poor you," she teased him. Kissing each other again, both put themselves into it completely, pulling each other closer.

_Thank you, Aunt Amora._

_As welcomes are yours, niece of mine._

~*~

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he craned his head down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Sighing softly, Thalia kissed his shoulder. Enjoying the moment of silence, he ran his fingers through her hair over and over, feeling her warm breath dancing across his skin. Brushing her hair to the side, he kissed the side of her head. She sighed, stirring restlessly before going back to sleep. Hearing his alarm begin to go off, he silenced his phone, sliding out of bed and yawning. Thalia tucked her arm under her head, and he smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Going to work now," he whispered to her.

"Mm-hm," she mumbled, tucking the sheet under her bare ribs. "Mm... Love you."

He chuckled softly. "Love you too," he whispered. Standing, he opened her door, casting a look behind him to her sleeping form. When a small smile graced his features, he shut the door behind him, letting her sleep.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Waking up to her alarm, Thalia sighed deeply, reaching out and sweeping her hand around the sheets. Finding them to be empty, she sat up, making a makeshift toga dress with her sheets. "It is almost noon," Donnie mused, "yet you're still in your room, unkempt and barely conscious. Are you really that tired?"

"Yes," she replied, smiling sleepily. "Like I said, taut wire. I could really start making comparisons to Snickers. Because they are a hundred percent correct: I am not me when I am hungry." Sighing, she added, "Well, scientifically speaking, the body's creation of oxytocin also happens to create argipressin, also known as vasopressin, which actually curbs thirst, not hunger, but you get it."

He smiled, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her. "You are adorable," he kissed into her mouth. "But I am serious. You just  _now_ woke up?"

"No!" she gasped incredulously. "I was... partially conscious earlier," she trailed off, shaking her head. "Not the point. Point is that's probably one of the best nights of sleeping I've had in a while."

His face fell. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Closing her eyes and letting out a controlled exhale through her nose, she took his hand, pressing it against her chest. "Do you feel that? That's the fast heartbeat of the girl that went through Hell and came back victorious. You can stop blaming yourself now."

"Whoa, hold on," he iced the skin around his hand and she squeaked, throwing his hand away. "You're not even  _dressed_ yet?"

"I just woke up, remember?"

"But you said you were already awake," he tilted his head back and laughed. "Why the sudden change in chronological events?"

"In the hopes that I could play this dopey grin just right and gain your sympathy," she smiled sweetly. "Because you can't tell me that  _neither_ of us needed that."

"I can't and I won't," he declared, kissing her again. "I have to get back to work."

"And I need a shower."

"Then I guess we'll both busy ourselves today."

"I guess we will," she yawned, waving him off and locking herself in the bathroom. Opening the door and shutting it to assure herself of its function, she dropped the sheets, climbing into the shower.

_Am I to suggest, purely for my own knowledge, that last night went well?_

_No need to rub it in, Aunt Amora,_ Thalia thought snidely.  _Once, you were right._

_And I'll continue to be. Just say the word and I'll cast my sound-proofing enchantment. Your raucousness was making my sleep seem quite disparaging._

_I apologize that my "lover's reunion", as you so eloquently put it, was causing you to reap what you sow._ Taking her toothbrush, she began to scrub out the inside of her mouth. _And besides, you are quite possibly thousands of years old, Aunt Amora. You can stand to lose a night's sleep for your niece who treats you with such amicability._

_I am only two thousand and ninety, niece of mine. My youth is still very much upon me._

_Yet you speak of ages, experiences outside of your age range._

_I have many abilities I don't speak of to anyone, and that includes you. Accept for the time being that my power is simply beyond your comprehension. And I find the notion ironic that you lecture me on experiences outside of my range, yet some of the things I assumed were happening in that room last night--_

_Okay, I get the point._

_Point is do not cast stones at glass houses._

_Yeah, yeah, cracks in the glass and all._

_You take to my words well, Thalia._

_As I usually do._

_So,_ Amora paused,  _am I allowed to know what conspired in that room last night?_

_No._

_Is that so? If I do recall, it was through my efforts that you 'got laid', as you so eloquently put it. Not to mention it's my enchantments that prevented your father from hearing anything that did happen in that room last night. I do know, however, that I can always let it slip in a conversation._

_You wouldn't._

_You forget, I am a woman of immense power and I am not afraid of using unsavory tactics to get what I desire._

_Fine!_

_I only tease, niece of mine. I will not pressure you into disclosing what sounded to be some quite pleasuring acts._

_It was really good, you know._

_If I wanted to know how well your lover is in bed, I would ask him. Or, I could simply tell where which areas of your body are colder than the rest. Get my answers that way._

_You cruel woman. You wouldn't dare._

Amora laughed.  _I also wouldn't dare to do such a thing. And Thalia, your father asks for you._

Shutting off the shower, she climbed out, toweling off and changing. Ian waited at her door. "Thalia, sweetheart, I must ask something of you."

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Would you mind giving a tour of our factory?" Ian sighed. "I was meaning to do it, but I have to be out there helping with particularly difficult and ill-behaved manufacturing equipment."

"Yeah, of course." She nodded. "When is the tour?"

"Tomorrow. Some fancy boarding school on the west coast got the permission to come take a tour as part of their school's special intern program for different companies throughout the country. And I do have another favor to ask."

"Which is?"

"I'm gonna need Donnie's hands in this."

"Dad, you haven't even presented me with any scenario which I would say no."

"There isn't one. I just need his help."

"Do you see me objecting?" She cocked her head to the side. "Just go tell Donnie. He's the one that's gonna need a heads up."  
~*~

"He wants me to do  _what_?"

"He needs you to help him with the malfunctioning manufacturing equipment." Thalia turned onto her belly, propping herself on a pillow. "Not even he can do it on his own."

"While you do what?" Donnie asked, weaving his fingers through hers. "Give a tour to a bunch of entitled, rich brats? Many of whom are probably frat boys that will try to grope you."

"I can hold my own, lune de ma vie." She smiled. "You are terribly overprotective."

"Protecting my fiancée from the sleazy hands of the general population," he teased. Picking her up, he laid her body over his. "So overprotective."

"Donnie, this may seem like an odd question, but what was Seth like?" She fell quiet. "I mean, I know it's intrusive, but what was he like when you two were..?" Her cheeks darkened. "God, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay. It was..." he paused. "I can't really explain it. Except for if you were a guy, I guess. It's kinda difficult to explain. Would you rather look in my head?"

"Would that better explain the situation then you explaining it to me?"

"Probably."

She pressed her fingers to his face, closing her eyes.

_Setting his bags down, he looked around the small room. After an unsuccessful attempt to try a roommate, he was definitely pleased when he was offered a dorm on the far side of campus, next to the labs. Looking out the window, he could see the buildings of the Academy looming on the horizon._

_"You're the new kid, right?"_

_Jumping at the noise, he spun, seeing a figure standing in his doorway. "I mean, this room has been vacant ever since Sam Merlotte transferred out to a different building. So when I heard about a new acceptance to our dorm, I had to see for myself." The figure stepped through the doorway. His hair fell to his shoulders. "What's your name?"_

_He stood, rooted to his spot. "What, you don't have a name?" His face suddenly morphed into shock. "Shit, you aren't mute, are you? God, that makes me feel bad. I didn't mean to poke fun."_

_Donnie shook his head. "No," he spoke softly, startling the visitor. "I'm not."_

_"So you do speak!" He exclaimed, causing Donnie to smile softly. "Do you have a name?" The visitor offered his hand. "I'm Seth."_

_"Donnie."_

_"How old are you?" Seth asked. "You look way too young to be a part of this crowd."_

_"Just turned eighteen a week and a half ago."_

_"Eighteen? Damn, that makes me feel old." Seth sat down on the bed. "I mean, I'm only twenty-two, but I swear I can start seeing gray hairs. This place is a tight ship. How did you get aboard, sailor?"_

_"S.H.I.E.L.D. found me."_

_"As they do everyone. I mean explicit details."_

_"I built a functioning rocket for my shop class project. It shot about thirty-one miles up into the air."_

_Seth's mouth gaped like a trout. "That's half the distance to space."_

_"So they said." Donnie unzipped a bag, beginning to take his things out. "But that was the first passing grade I'd made in months."_

_"You were flunking?"_

_"I was bored. I'd already completed my courses for an Engineering degree from MIT, and was waiting until I left high school to get away."_

_"Why?"_

_"I don't have the best family back home." Donnie shrugged a shoulder. "So here I am."_

_"What's this?" Seth picked up the ratty notebook inside Donnie's bag._

_"Don't touch that," he said quietly. "It's old."_

_"No kidding. This thing looks like it survived the Paleolithic era. Why keep a hold of it?"_

_"Sentimental value."_

_After a moment of silence between the two, Seth stood. "Well, I'm gonna let you get to unpacking. I have a question." When Donnie gestured for him to continue, he said, "Do you maybe want to hang out sometime? I got a double bunker with no roommate and some pretty awful beer."_

_"I'm not a very...social person."_

_"I got that," Seth smiled. "I will be around." When he left, a small flutter, something he hardly noticed at first, started in his chest._

Thalia opened her eyes. "He thought you were mute?"

"Just keep watching and be quiet," Donnie pressed his hand to her mouth, pressing her fingers back onto his face.

_"So, a prerequisite," Seth tossed his head back, downing his beer. "Your personal life. Go."_

_Donnie shrugged. "What? Really?" Seth laughed. "That antisocial, huh?"_

_"I didn't go out much."_

_"Yeah, no shit." Seth set down his bottle. "Okay, something simple. What was your pet's name, where did you grow up, have you had a first kiss yet. Really, the list goes on."_

_"Delaware."_

_"That's it? You have to help me out here."_

_"Newark, Delaware."_

_"Thank you!" Seth sighed, tossing his bottle into the trash and reaching for another one. "Is that all?"_

_He shrugged again. "My first kiss was a girl named Carly. Carly Brisecka."_

_Seth sputtered on his drink. "Really." He snorted. "What a crock of shit."_

_Donnie looked up. "What?"_

_"I have two sisters. You really need to brush up on your lying skills. I mean, Mary was sleeping with this guy named Andre once, and when my mom asked, she said she had a friend named Andrea. There's no need to make up some fake girl that you didn't kiss so long ago. If I'm being honest, next to no-one here, when they enter, has had their first kiss."_

_"That girl does exist."_

_"Uh huh." Seth tipped the neck of his bottle towards the door. "Shut the door. I have something I wanna show you."_

_When he did, Seth went silent. Standing, he set down his beer. "We consider each other friends, right?"_

_"I think so," Donnie said softly, shrugging. "If it's a technical type thing. After all, you've been pestering me and coming over to my room every day for the past week."_

_Seth nodded. "True, true." Looking into Donnie's eyes, he exhaled softly. "You know, it may be me being drunk of my ass, but there's something about you that intrigues me."_

_His breathing stilled, and his heart began pounding out a fast rhythm in his chest. "What would that be?"_

_"I'm not quite sure," Seth answered quietly. "Maybe it's your eyes. I've never seen anyone with eyes that color."  He took a few steps forward. "Or it could be your lips. Something about them..." Tipping forward, he looked like he was about to fall over; when Donnie caught him, Seth then pressed his lips to Donnie's._

_Immediately, he stepped back, straightening Seth. "What was that?"_

_"Like I said, it was me being drunk." Seth drunkenly shrugged. Donnie remained standing, his heart still beating furiously. "Don't take it to heart."_

_"I think I need to go. I have Calderone's project due tomorrow."_

_"Donnie!" Seth whined drunkenly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."_

_"Yeah, I would've guessed that."_

_Pushing off the desk, Seth said, "But I do mean this," crushing their lips together again._

_The flutter in Donnie's chest, at that moment, expanded to a full-blown fire, concentrated around his lips. Seth's were water desperately craved, and he pulled him closer, letting out a soft noise as he did. Seth wrapped his hand around the back of Donnie's neck, pulling him impossibly closer. When they broke for air, Donnie was short of breath, his pupils wide and blown out and his hands shaking._

_"What," he wheezed, "was that?"_

_"Something," Seth panted. "I'm not sure quite what yet."_

_"That was..."_

_Seth pursed his lips. "Amazing."_

_"I was gonna say insane, but your adjective's better," Donnie gulped down grateful intakes of air. "And ardent."_

_"I agree." Seth nodded, then looked up._

_"I'm not sure about you, but I wouldn't mind if that happened again."_

_"Neither would I," Seth growled, reaching for Donnie and kissing him again._

Thalia moved her fingers. "That was..." she went quiet for a second, "It was sweet."

He looked up at her, his blue eyes dark. "Really?"

"Yes, really. It's actually a pretty clever way to kiss you. I have to spell it out in big, block letters or write 'Kiss me, I'm horny' on my forehead."

"Well that isn't exactly true..."

"Bullcrap." Thalia ran her hands along his shoulders. "How far did my aunt go to make sure we both knew how much we missed being around each other?" She traced her index finger around his upper lip. "Locking us in a room together? A room completely our own, someplace nobody would think of bothering during the night?"

Smoothing a hand over her waist, he slipped under the hem of her camisole, calloused fingertips tracing her ribs. One after another, going higher and higher...

Thalia gasped. "That's playing dirty."

"Well then help me get clean," he told her, tracing ice into her ribs. She shivered, casting a dark glare at him. Taking the front of his shirt, she pulled him into a sitting position. "Wow, I forgot how strong you are," he noted with bewilderment.

"I'm trying my hardest to not completely disintegrate under that torturous touch of yours," she said quietly. "So please, either kiss me or stop."

"With pleasure," he whispered, tilting her chin up and kissing her. Softly breaking the kiss, she pressed her forehead to his. "What's wrong?"

"I have a tour to guide tomorrow. And you're gonna need to stay focused while working on the malfunctioning equipment."

"Tease."

"The only teasing I do is to my hair. Chill out." Rolling onto her back, she pulled him down by his shirt and began kissing him again. "Besides, tour doesn't start until ten in the morning."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"I'm nervous."

"As any normal person in your situation would be," Ward assured her. "You're not used to being a public figure like Ian is."

"You'll give me updates on what's going on with the equipment?"

"Yes." Ward crossed his arms. "Now go on."

Composing herself, she strode towards the group of students, smoothing down her skirt. "Hi," she said, gathering their attention. "Welcome to Quinn Worldwide. I am Thalia. Since he cannot guide the tour himself, my dad asked me to guide your tour."

"Excuse me," a brunette came to the front of the group. "But didn't you get shot not even two months ago?"

Thalia brought her braid over her shoulder. "Yes, I did. Why does that concern with anything?"

"Because it normally takes several weeks for someone to recover from one gunshot wound, but you were capped twice in the stomach and lost almost seventy percent of your blood."

"What's your name?"

"Carly Brisecka, Miss Quinn. I'm in premed."

"Odd." Thalia frowned. "I've heard that name before."

"I think I'm confused about how it's only been eleven weeks and you're already up and moving again."

"Very strong willpower," she half-admitted with a tight-lipped smile. "Can we continue with the tour?"

"From what everyone's heard, your stomach was perforated and intestines nearly sliced to ribbons." Carly tied her hair up. "So how did you not suffer further internal damage, like say, your stomach acid spilling out and burning your other internal organs?"

"Because I was on my back, Miss Brisecka," Thalia shot venomously. "Is this all this was supposed to be? The story behind how I survived an assassination attempt? The gritty details of how I waited for what felt like ages for someone to find me, hoping and praying that I wouldn't die and leave my godsend of a fiancé behind over something that wasn't even my fault? Is this what this was about?"

"Hey, what's going on?" The group's teacher approached her. "Miss Quinn, what's wrong?"

"Your premed students know better than to reopen old wounds, don't they?" Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she furiously wiped them away. Stepping away, she gasped for air, letting the tears fall freely when Ward wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"Breathe," Ward said softly, offering her tissues. She pressed them to her cheeks, sniffling before balling them up in her fist. As she turned and headed back towards the group, she heard the teacher reaming out the students for their behavior.

"You fail to understand that something like that is a very traumatic experience!" The teacher hissed, his gaze stern. "She almost  _died_ and you are forcing her to relive the event. It isn't your place to pester her for questions when she looks like she's doing good being able to stand. It also isn't your place to interrogate her on her personal life either, Carly." Looking up, the teacher ran a hand through his hair, adjusting his glasses. "Miss Quinn, I am very sorry about my students. While it is not anyone's fault that your father was unable to lead the tour, I made my students promise not to pester our guide about any of the recent events."

She nodded curtly. "I understand. Can we continue the tour?"

"Of course," the teacher replied, shooting daggers at Carly. "Does anyone else have any possibly damaging questions to be avoided?"

"Does your fiancé work for your dad?"

Thalia nodded. "Yes, he does," she answered the student's question. "He was already working for my dad when we got engaged."

"Where's he now?"

"Fixing the malfunctioning manufacturing equipment in Engineering, which fortunately we will be taking a trip by." Picking up her pace, she looked through the window, rapping on the safety glass. "Où est-il?"

"Far back near the arms," a worker replied. "You guys are okay to go in. Everything's in lockout/tagout."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Keep hands, feet and any other objects to yourself. This machinery is very dangerous and could kill you if you are too close to it if it comes back on." Placing her hand on the keypad, the door opened and she stepped through, leading the group inside. As they gazed around in awe, she walked down the walkway, looking into various projects. "Come along!"

Trailing behind her, the group came to a stop. "What is it?"

Ian came up to them, his hands splotched with grease. "Well, that piece is toast."

"What do you mean?"

"The box controlling one of the arms has a hole through its motherboard, and it's toast."

"Well couldn't he fix it?"

"He could put his head through it, Thalia."

She winced. "So what now?"

"What now is I have to get the entire thing replaced. Luckily, we have a backup box here so it won't take long. Is this the group?"

She nodded. "Well then it's nice to meet you all. I heard that LACES was branching out to the eastern seaboard as part of their little test run. Internships here are very hard to come by, so I'm glad that we have a capable group of people vying for a place here. Where is their operations base at?"

"Based in New York, but most of the students come from the surrounding states." The teacher beamed. "These students here are nothing but the best the school had to offer."

"Interesting." Ian furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Which of the group are Engineering majors?"

"They're still in school, Mister Quinn. While half the group does want to be in Engineering, many haven't started college courses yet. LACES insists that students take AP courses while there and adding college courses would make many snap under the pressure."

"Didn't Donnie finish his courses from UoD or MIT while still in high school?"

"Dad, that was different. Donnie is Donnie, not any of these kids." She pressed her fingertips together. "And like the teacher said, the students are expected to take all of their classes AP. Donnie didn't."

"Where is he?"

"I thought he was with you!"

"Who was with what?"

She turned around. Donnie picked up a rag, trying to wipe grease off his hands. "Hi."

"Hey there," she said softly, leaning to one side. "How's it going?"

"Well what he said," Donnie nodded to Ian. "Control panel's motherboard is toast. Something burned a hole through the thing. North and south bridges, memory and processor socket are all gone."

"At least you're okay," she said softly.

"Well, I'll be damned," a kid in the crowd said incredulously. "If it isn't Donnie Gill."

Donnie went rigid. "Harry."

The unnamed teenager from earlier shoved his way through the crowd, his auburn hair roughed and messy as he ran a hand through it. "I heard the government took an interest in you. When did Ian Quinn deal in military contracts?"

"Do you not remember when Quinn Worldwide was working with the armed forces about the Deathlok program?" Ian asked curiously. "The project was terminated after the death of our consultant, but we still deal with them occasionally."

"Yeah," Harry grumbled. "To buy them off."

Thalia growled softly. "Shut your mouth. I remember the teacher said shut up and to not pester me about my personal life."

"He's from my childhood, not yours," Harry shot back. "Free game."

"He's my fiancé, not yours." Thalia glared at him. "Back off."

"You're marrying him?" Harry laughed. "Girls like you will spread your legs for just about anyone, won't you?"

Donnie and Ian gaped in horror. Thalia just beamed, laughing musically. "Not for you, I won't," she laughed. "And most certainly not for misogynistic assholes like you either, which is probably why you're still a virgin." She shrugged, and Harry flamed red. "And besides, at least Donnie can play a good game of ball, whereas Coach is benching you for foul play."

The crowd fell silent. "Now, since he is here, my dad can finish with the tour." She took Donnie's hand. "Let's go."

As they walked away, Donnie looked at her. "Did you just..?"

"It's better not to ask questions," Thalia shook her head. "Just don't."

"I do hope you realize that I love you so much right now."

"Yep." She smiled. "Come on, we're going home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	29. By The Pricking Of Our Thumbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> besides the fact that the past few weeks have been chaotic as all hell, my siblings JUST started winter vacation (which lasts until the third, help me :'( ) and my mom has been going sailing and sinking on the relationship five consecutive times (with the same guy, no less) which gives me ZERO time to work on this. On the upside, I finally finished my curriculum. Now, to get an entire eleventh grade school year into my brain by next August for twelfth grade... Yay... not.

Balancing a turkey, Thalia let the metal pan float above her as she carried her bowl of stuffing to the table. "Donnie, where is the macaroni and cheese?"

"Right here," he came up behind her with the glass bowl, setting it down next to her stuffing. "It seem like there's enough food here to feed an army."

"The guards are eating, too." She playfully dug her elbow into his side. "Unless you plan on eating all of this food."

"I'm not the one that needs to gain weight," he remarked mockingly. "But I'm thankful you're here," he added softly. "Happy thanksgiving."

"Happy thanksgiving," she said back, rubbing her hand on his arm. Kissing his bicep, she flurried back into the kitchen, glancing at the oven. "How do you feel about pie?"

"Not a fan."

"Well I made a pumpkin one for Aunt Amora. For some odd reason the woman sees one and  _loses_  her mind."

"She's basic."

"My aunt is  _not_ basic! She just... Gets excited at pumpkins because they aren't something that grows on Asgard." Thalia laughed, licking chocolate chip cookie dough off her fingers. "Called them odd-looking."

"Do I not get any?"

Putting a little dough on her thumb, she offered it to him. Taking her hand, he slowly sucked it off her thumb, grazing his teeth along the pad of her finger. Her lip quivered and pulled her hand back, her arousal-laced features morphing into a witty smirk. "Hey! Save that for later. What do think the cookies are for?"

"Dessert?"

She smirked. "Half-right."

His face lit up and he made a noise of acknowledgement. "I'm no doctor, but I  _do_  know that mixing that kind of stuff together yields some pretty  _disastrous_  results."

She snorted. "Do you think I'm stupid? I know that. I was going to use them to test your French skills." She offered him a cookie. "Cookie pour vos pensées?"

He wrapped her in his arms. "Je ne peux pas attendre jusqu'à ce que je suis assez vieux pour vous marier."

"Here you go," she placed it in his mouth, pulling on oven mitts and pulling out of his arms to take the cookies out of the oven. "And you do realize you are old enough to marry me."

"Then until the right time comes along," he amended, watching her blow cold air onto the hot cookie sheet. "Right now seems a bit chaotic."

"And maybe that's why it's the perfect time." She spun around, leaning against the counter. "Be there for each other in our time of need."

Framing her jaw with his hands, he kissed her, the smell of chocolate chip cookies and ice making her sigh in contentment.

"I do hope you are not engaging in activities around all this amazing food." Amora entered the kitchen, admiring the feast. "And you made all of this yourselves?"

"With the assistance of prepped stuffing mix and other things."

"It looks delectable." Amora inhaled deeply. "And is as divine as our blood."

"Can you take that into the dining room? Dinner's about to start."  
~*~  
Ian watched as Amora studied the movie on tv, her expression perplexing. "Ian, why does this Lucy always tomfool with that poor Charlie Brown and the kicking ball? With the force of his head hitting the ground, he could break his small skull open."

"It's a cartoon, Amora. She does that to mess with him."

She looked at Donnie and Thalia curled up on the couch, asleep and oblivious to their conversation and the movie. "They seem quite tired."

"Turkey makes people sleepy."

"That must explain it." Amora yawned. "I cannot seem to keep awake."

"I'll clean up," Ian stood, striding into the kitchen. "Do you want to help?"

"I've never fallen victim to a bird, and I won't start now."  
~*~  
"So he just threw that on you? First it's guiding factory tours, now it's being his daughter/translator for foreign business meetings?"

"He's paying the Chinese for allowing him to mine for Gravitonium and for running some project in Hong Kong while I wasn't here. The man doesn't speak a word of Chinese."

"When will you be leaving?"

"I'll still be in California. One of the Chinese Consulates is actually in Los Angeles."

"You realize that no matter how much assuring you do, I'll be a worrisome fiancé."

"I know you will," she replied. Laying down on her stomach, she asked, "Cookie pour vos pensées?"

"I am thinking that I'm still sketchy on the whole idea considering they're a widespread user of opium."

"You're worried I'll get a  _contact high_?"

"It's a reasonable worry. You've been drugged before."

"I'll be okay. Because there could be the chance that a specific ice goddess could be there instead." She smiled softly, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles. "She'll have things under control, lune de ma vie."

"I do hope you're right."

"When am I not?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Making her an integral part of his business is screaming that he's trying to bring her in the loop." May scowled. "Do you think she'll go for it?"

"I don't think so." Jemma shook her head. "She has our influences, doesn't she? I mean if she does, then she will stick to her half of the empire and leave it at that. She won't want anything to do with it."

"Skye, what do you think?"

"Two things. One, it's Daisy. And two, I can't really be sure. We are apparently the cause of her nearly dying and losing Donnie. So she may be doing this as a mediator. If she did die, we'd be looking at one of the most powerful and richest men in the world looking for our heads; and then there'd be Donnie, who could run the chance of rejoining Hydra of his own free will this time and hunting us down one by one." Daisy frowned. "But there's so much about the situation we don't know."

"Yes, like the rumored leader of new Hydra being this girl's bodyguard and refusing to let any harm come to her through them."

"She's been put in an interesting situation," Coulson frowned. "She's not a bad guy, but she's become a source of company for a lot of bad ones. They treat her like a princess. Not to mention she's also a Maltese citizen by birthright, so she has untold amounts of diplomatic immunity. This has therefore put us in an interesting situation."

May turned to the psychiatrist. "What do you think?"

"I'm not a tactician. But from the outside, a perspective you need, she is what you would say an interesting predicament. She is a good person, relatively, but the company she keeps isn't. Yet they'll protect her should the occasion rise. Having Hydra at her beck and call is something that is particularly interesting."

"How so?"

"Her S.O. was Hydra, wasn't he?" The psychiatrist nodded. "So you'd think she'd pick up tricks of the trade. But instead, he'd gone to the trouble of keeping her out of it. So, once again, an interesting predicament. Yet her bodyguard right now, the Clairvoyant's right hand man and the rumored new leader, says to her that should she want it, she could control droves of his people with the flick of her wrist. And he would allow it."

Daisy snapped her fingers. "I have it now. Years of being silenced. She, even as herself again, isn't used to being in power." She leaned forward. "A queen wary of her new throne. A chess piece that's unsure of whether she's a pawn or the move that makes checkmate."

"The queen that conquers like a king."

She pointed her finger at the psychiatrist. "Exactly. But she's scared of her power."

"Well if any of us were her, it'd be a reasonable worry. She has to maintain constant control over her powers."

The psychiatrist sat straight. "Hold on, Thalia Quinn is a Gifted?"

"And half-Asgardian," Coulson smiled tightly. "Joy."

"How could someone be half alien?"

"Uh hello, I'm right here," Daisy waved her hands.

"A very rare occurrence. According to Thalia, it's only happened one other time."

"Well, the conclusion I'm reaching is inconclusive. I'm a psychiatrist, so as long as she isn't causing serious harm, I'm gonna have to say she's okay."  
~*~  
Walking through the front door, Thalia took off her flats, calling out, "甄子丹吗?我回来了！"

Donnie emerged from the kitchen. "How was it?"

"Fine," she taunted, entering the kitchen. "No opium."

"Did you eat?"

"The urban legends are true. Cat meat is a delicacy in Asia."

He gagged. "How about a sandwich?"

"My appetite's been soured."

"Where's your dad?"

"He said they were freaked out by her," she held out her hand, letting it become near snow white before fading back. "So he dropped me off."

She laughed as it began pouring outside, punctuated by loud claps of thunder. "You can't control weather, can you?"

"My title dictates my control over winter weather, lune de ma vie. Like my Aunt Amora said, we would probably be better off living in Quebec. Wanna sit outside with me?"

"No."

"Fine," she stepped out onto the veranda, watching the downpour. The sky suddenly lit up, striking a flying blue streak out of the air. Falling to the grass, the figure rolled a few times before coming to a stop. "Oh my God," she gasped. "Donnie!"

"What?"

"It's Sam!" Throwing open the door, she ran out into the rain, falling to her knees next to Sam's unconscious figure. Flipping him over, she began shaking him. "Sam, wake up!"

He jolted awake. "I'm fine!" he gasped. "I get struck a lot," he panted. "Just a perk of flying around in the storm."

"Well come on inside," she hauled him to his feet. "I'm not keen about anyone I care for getting hit by lightning."

"Thalia, look out!"

A bright light filled her vision. "It's cold," she noted curiously, holding the light in her hands. "Do you think it's because it loses temperature as it reaches the ground?"

"I'm more concerned with the fact you're holding lightning." Sam took his helmet off, reaching out to touch her. "How are you doing that?"

"Well, a typical lightning bolt contains about a terawatt of electricity. I can handle the same amount," she answered, shifting the electricity from hand to hand. "It's incredibly awing."

"Really?" Sam reached out to touch it, his hand flying back. As he rubbed his electrocuted hand, he turned back to the house. "Isn't Donnie waiting for you?"

"He doesn't like getting excessively wet," she replied, focused on the raw power in her hands, crackling and popping and mingling with her own. "This is amazing."

"You should let it go." Sam swallowed nervously. "It needs to dissipate on its own."

"Thalia?" Donnie called. "Would you come inside? You're gonna get sick!"

"Coming!" She called. Trying to disentangle her power, she harshly severed the connection, rubbing her hands across each other and making the lightning hit the ground. A loud clap of thunder boomed around them, and rain stopped coming down on them. Tilting her face up, she saw the clouds stilled. "Did I clear the storm?"

Sam's voice started blurring out. Feeling something warm begin to trickle down her face, she tasted copper and felt herself go numb, falling to her knees. "Thalia!" Donnie's frantic yelling grew closer, his face falling out of focus as she crumpled, hitting her deceivingly light head on the ground and passing out.

~*~

Groaning softly, she stirred weakly. "Welcome back to the land of the living," Donnie said softly.

"What?"

"You need to stop scaring me like that," he said. "Sam said you meshed with lightning.  _Lightning_ , Thalia."

"I had things under control," she smiled.

"Until the sudden severance of your power caused you to drop like a hot potato."

"Until then," she licked her lips, tasting blood.

Offering her a wet washrag, she cleaned her face as he elaborated, saying, "And then you began having one of your massive nosebleeds, which was the only indication that you were even alive. I basically had to force an anticonvulsant down your throat so you wouldn't have a seizure upon waking up."

"Did I?"

"That was an hour ago."

"So no," she stood. "Turns out those pills are doing some good."

"Can you stand okay?"

"My electricity, it's coming back slowly. The medicine is constricting how fast it can reenter my system. An hour and I'll be back to normal."

"I thought your heart had stopped," he said softly. "Your heart was beating so slowly I thought you were..."

She kissed him. "I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't mean it, I just..."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, keeping her face close to his. Closing his eyes, he kissed her softly. Parting, she said, "I need to go check on Sam."

"He left. Likely to go and tattle on you to Coulson."

"With good intentions," she chided lightly. "Sam is concerned for my well being as much as you are." Looking around the room, many candles were lit and scattered across different surfaces. "What happened?"

"Power went out. And since you are temporarily incapacitated, I lit candles. Besides, the house could use the upgrade in smell. You have surprising taste in scented candles. Flowers and vanilla."

"How about we whip something up?"

"Like what?"

"Like leftovers. We have plenty of leftovers from yesterday," she walked into the kitchen. "There's cereal. Not to mention we have feet and umbrellas. We could walk to a restaurant. Maybe Italian?"

"Sounds like a plan." When he reached for the umbrellas, he passed her his windbreaker. "Here."

"You don't have to."

"Thalia, if you want to go out to eat, you will wear it so you do not get wet. End of discussion."

"What about you?"

"I've got myself covered." He put on his hoodie, handing her the umbrella. "Do you have your wallet?"

She nodded, tucking it into the pocket. Stepping out onto the front porch, he opened the umbrella, tucking her underneath it and stepping off the porch. Walking through the light drizzle in dead silence, it was what felt like ages before they ducked under the awning of the restaurant, stripping out of their soaked over garments. A hostess looked up, smiling. "How many?"

"Due, per favore," Thalia said quickly, closing the umbrella and folding Donnie's windbreaker over her arm.

"Proprio in questo modo," the hostess beamed, leading them to a table. Brandishing a lighter, she lit the tealight in the middle of the table, tucking it back into her pocket. "Il vostro cameriere sarà con voi presto."

"Grazie," Thalia thanked the woman, who scurried off. Donnie looked at her funny. "What?"

"So you speak Italian now, too?"

"Se taire. Je ne vois pas vous offrant de lui parler."

"Parce que vous êtes la personne qui parle aux gens, pas moi."

"True," she smiled. "But then yet again, I am just as introverted as you, lune de ma vie."

A waiter approached them. "Are you ready to order?"

Donnie watched as Thalia began speaking to the waiter in Italian, ordering their meal. When the waiter left, she turned to him. "I ordered fettucine alfredo. Is that alright?"

"Yeah." Donnie placed his head on his hands. "You are amazing, you know that?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulder. "You've told me a few times."

"No, but really," he took her hands. "You are the most amazing person ever and I love you so much. I'm glad I found you."

"Je suis heureux que je vous ai trouvé, trop," she said softly. Pressing his lips to her knuckles, he put her hand down when the waiter arrived with their food. Placing their plates down in front of them, they began digging into the hot food. When Donnie began sputtering on his food, Thalia reached for him and he shook his head.

"Sorry," he panted, swallowing and drinking his Coke. "That was really hot. Burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth."

"I'm sorry!" She pulled his plate forward, blowing on the pasta and cooling it. "There you go."

"Thanks, Mom," he shot sarcastically, taking a bite of the cooled pasta. "Blowing on my food to make sure I don't burn my mouth?"

"Well you kinda shot that in the foot," she rubbed her foot against his. Looking out the window, the rain had picked up again. "Donnie, maybe we should go. Nobody knows we left."

"So? You are a grown woman."

"A grown woman who's been missing for eleven years of her life and is kept on a short leash."

"Apparently the leash is long enough to make it down to the local Italian restaurant."

"Can we get some to-go boxes?" When they were given, she packaged up their food. "The leash is lax as long as we follow the rules. Break the rules, the leash snaps and we're dragged back by the force."

"Thalia, you are free to live your life. That's the perk of being your own person."

"The topic is no longer up for debate," she said hurriedly, paying their bill and leaving. "Not to mention if we didn't leave, we'd be rained in. Then we wouldn't be home and Dad would be freaking out."

"Thalia, you cannot please everyone. You have your own life. You are engaged and requiring privacy as an adult."

"I'm not going to lie to my dad."

"You won't need to." She saw Ward standing under the awning. "I told your dad I would keep an eye on you two. As long as I'm somewhere within half a mile of you, you're allowed to leave the house as you please."

Donnie beamed, and Thalia scowled at him. Handing him the takeout bag, she picked up the umbrella, opening it making the brief walk to the car. Then against his free will, he walked out into the pouring rain, soaking him from head to toe. "Hilarious, Thalia!" Donnie yelled over the rain. "Should've gone into comedy!"

_Get in the car._

"Coming."

~*~

"Why are we walking around back?"

"I put a shag carpet in the entryway, and those things sop up mud like no other. We're taking the way that's graced with hardwood." Unlocking her door, Thalia let him inside, his feet making a  _squelch-squelch_ noise inside his shoes. Shutting the door, she drew the curtains. "I'm sorry."

Donnie turned around, pushing his wet hair from his forehead. "For what?"

"Don't play that card, Donald," Thalia sighed. "It was mean."

"Soaking me for making you upset?"

"Don't try to make me look like the victim, that was my fault. I was pissed because you were right. I just don't want to pull away from him. It doesn't seem fair to him."

"Thalia, he's your dad. Of course it's not going to seem fair. But you do need to try and exercise some distance. For example, while it's just his parental sense tingling like a spidey sense when it comes to you, he does need to realize you need your own life and space. For example, maybe when you turn twenty, you can finally move to Quebec like you wanted."

" _We are moving to Quebec together_ , Donnie." Thalia held up her hand, pointing to the ring on her finger. "This means you're stuck with this hot mess until the end of time."

"You are not a mess. Hot, definitely, but mess? I've seen your OCD." When he began to shiver, he laughed, joking, "And here I thought I had the inability of getting sick through cold means."

"Donnie, take that stuff off," Thalia chastised him, opening her dresser drawers and beginning to bring out his clothes. "You're gonna get sick."

"I got that." He pinned her with his playful stare, which made her smile. "Right here?"

"Don't play coy with me," she moved around him and picked up a towel, standing on her toes and toweling his hair. "You are not going to get sick on me."

"Need a hand?"

"No," she frowned. "You don't seem to stop growing."

Picking her up anyways, she instinctively clung to him while still trying to dry him off. "You are persistent. Here I am trying to make a move and you're drying my hair like I can't do it myself."

"Well if you do, you drop me and the move you make is you trying to flee my wrath and the inevitable ass-kicking you would receive."

He put her down. "Then what if I were to start kissing you?"

"Then I might let you continue while I undress you and make sure you don't get sick," she mused, stopping her tousling of his damp hair for a fraction of a second. "But of course, there'd need to be a pretty good starter if I were to toss aside the rest of today's plans to tend for my sick fiancé."

Pulling her chin up, he caught her in a dizzying kiss, making her drop the towel. "You're getting me wet."

"Dysphemism or not, let me help you out with that," he smiled wickedly, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around him. She laughed, letting out a whoop as he kissed her neck.

"Stop, you are supposedto be getting your wet clothes  _off_!" She pulled at the hem of his shirt, trying to take it off when he bit down on her neck. "Ow!" She took his hair in her hand, giving it a gentle tug. "You don't bite people!"

"I bite you," he told her, burying his nose in her neck and kissing her throat. "As a form of affection."

"Well take your love bites elsewhere." Finally, she pulled his shirt off, throwing it to the floor with a wet  _splat_. "You're getting out of these clothes."

"You're so bossy. How do you manage to be absolutely intimidating even when you have your height halved and your legs wrapped around me?"

"Clothes off.  _Now_."

"Fine." Popping open the top button of her shirt, he kissed her collarbone.

"Your clothes, not mine!"

"You aren't being specific."

"So you think you're being funny," she pursed her lips. "Put me down."

"Why?"

"Because you need both hands to take off your clothes, now put me down." She sat down, crossing her legs primly on the edge of the bed. "Wet clothes. Off. Now."

"Fine." Unbuckling his pants, he took the replacement pair and switched out. "Happy?"

"Elated," she beamed, standing and examining the mark on her neck. "You bruised me!"

"Maybe that one will last this time," he teased, kissing the red and purple mark on her neck. "Because all the other ones seem to disappear."

"With good reason!" She spun around. "Your dad was here."

"And now he isn't. Your point?"

"I was worried. About you."

"Don't. I can lick my own wounds." He placed his hands on his waist, kissing her forehead. "Speaking of which, are my socks in there? My feet are cold."

"Top left drawer, you dork." Pushing him off, she pulled the drawer open. When she heard a knock at the door, she pushed off the wall. "Stay here. I got it."

Jogging to the door, she pulled it open, stepping out onto the porch. A man with light brown hair stood from the bench, his hands shaking. "You gotta help me."

Approaching him slowly, she quickly examined him. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I don't remember how it happened, but I hurt people just by touching them. I can't control it, and it can be bad enough to kill people. Please, just help me."

"I'm not sure what inspired you to come here."

"People say that you're a doctor, that you're a brilliant scientist who deals with the processes of biological weapons."

"While that's true, I--"

"People also say you're like us, not fully human."

Her back stiffened. "Who told you that?"

He lunged forward. "Would you please help me, I need help!"

"Don't touch me!" Trying to move out of his way, he locked his hands around her upper arms. Suddenly, pain overwhelmed her and she felt paralyzed, her eyes going wide at the array of images that now assaulted her vision. Her neck, the torture, the gunshots; one after another the image and the pain followed until her body felt like it was on fire, reliving each second of pain until she screamed in agony.

Then he was gone, leaving a ringing in her ears that easily overwhelmed any other noise. "Hey, are you alright?" Donnie's hands stroked her face, making the images fade from her eyes. "What happened?"

"Hurts," she mewled softly, trying to dull the pain from her neck and stomach. "Everything hurts..."

"Why? What happened?"

"He touched me and everything started to..." a dull ache filled her stomach and she curled into him, gritting her teeth at the pain and feeling tears trace down her cheeks.

Pressing his hand to the porch, ice spread quickly towards the man until it encased his feet. "I didn't mean to hurt her, it was an accident!"

"Don't say a word," he snarled, gently rubbing the back of her neck. "Can you walk?" She shook her head. "See if one of the guards can bring some ibuprofen."

"Please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to."

"Hey," Donnie called to the guard, catching his attention. "I'm taking her inside. Watch him until Coulson gets here."

Helping Thalia stand, they walked into the house, stopping in the kitchen to get ibuprofen. "Thank you," she said to him softly. "I could barely breathe, it hurt so much."

"What did he do?"

"He put his hands on my arms and it just felt like my body was on fire," Thalia shuddered. "And every ounce of horrific pain I've felt came rushing to the surface and wouldn't stop."

"Could he be like Daisy?"

"It's possible. She controls vibrations, he can induce pain. I want to call him Ex, but that  _might_  be a little on the nose."

"You're funny," Donnie laughed mockingly. "As if you knew what having one was like."

"Uh, Sam?"

"He doesn't count. You weren't with him as Thalia, you were with him as Anna. Therefore, he isn't counted."

"You're quite the pineapple aren't you?" She stood. "Prickly on the outside and a bit sweet yet corrosive on the inside?" Teasing, she added, "That'd be me comparing your humor to the bromelain in pineapples, which breaks down meat."

"I know what bromelain does, genius. It dissolves your tongue when you eat pineapples. It's what makes me allergic," he stuck his tongue out at her. "Come on you, you need to lay down and let the medicine kick in."

"I need to see him," Thalia hauled herself to her feet.

"No. He's not our business, Thalia, we can't help him."

"He came to us for our help, Donnie. I think that takes the 'it's not our business' part out of the equation." She loosely wrapped her arms around him. "I'll see you on the porch?"

"I'll be right back," he sighed. "Just be careful."

When they separated, she stepped back out onto the porch, where a guard stood and watched the man dutifully. "We'll take it from here. But thank you for watching him."

The guard nodded and stepped away. "Thank you for giving me another chance," the man said. "I honestly did not mean to hurt anyone. I just can't control my abilities."

"We're waiting for my fiancé, he's getting some gloves so you can't hurt anyone else." Thalia threaded her fingers together. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The stranger shook his head. "Nope. All I remember is waking up a few weeks ago in the woods. I get weird dreams once in a while about being encased in stone, but I have no other details."

"What's your name?"

"Alec."

Donnie stepped onto the porch, gloves in hand. "Here."

"Merci," she said softly, handing the gloves to Alec. Clumsily pulling them on, he looked down to his feet. She waved a hand and the ice melted, and he took a step forward. "Now, what I need to do first is examine you. Physical examination, blood work, the usual. In this case."

"Won't Coulson be on you for running an Inhuman science lab out of our basement?"

"What Coulson doesn't know will not kill him. And besides, if he needed their help, he would've gone to him." Putting the tip of her thumb to her lips, she said, "Do you think it would help if we used gel electrophoresis to study his DNA? Maybe something in the environment did this to him and would be recognizable on a macromolecular level?"

"Thalia, I understand French better than the mouthful of biology you just threw at me. And I am awful at French.  _And_ biology!" Donnie crossed his arms. "Do we even have the stuff in the lab to do that?"

"I doubt it," Thalia pouted. "So I guess I'll be making trips to The Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA for equipment."

"Coulson's going to ask."

"And luckily for me, I have my rights thanks to the Fifth Amendment." She kissed his fingers. "In the meantime, how are you with the machine?"

"Just a few more tweaks and it will be completely finished. Maybe for Christmas?"

"First it's my birthday, then it's Christmas; I think you're starting to get nervous about pleasing me with this weather machine."

"Or maybe I'm just trying to find the right time to show you in a way that isn't completely awkward," he suggested, looking upwards. "But it's a wonder you're in such good shape, jumping to conclusions all the time."

"Oh, is that it?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Any other conclusions you want to jump to, Watson?"

"No, but we'll take it from here." Coulson was then there on the porch. "Thank you for calling us."

Thalia turned to Donnie. "You called them?"

Coulson put his hand on her shoulder. "He was worried for you, Thalia. As much of a bitch it is to take down an Asgardian, this guy managed to put you in screaming pain just by touching you. Understand that he was just trying to protect his fiancée from a man who put her in agonizing pain."

"Thalia, I'm sorry I did it, but..." Donnie looked down. "I was more worried about you then some random guy that was trespassing in the name of finding you."

She relaxed her hands. "Then I can't be mad at you for doing that. If the roles were reversed, he wouldn't even be standing right now."

"Thanks for the heads up," Daisy nodded her head, helping usher Alec into the car.

"And thanks for the tip," Coulson nodded his head, jogging back down the steps. When the cars had all disappeared, Thalia turned to find the porch empty. Turning back on her heel and reentering the house, she easily found Donnie sulking on the couch in her room.

"Donald Vincent Gill, why are you skulking around my room?" Thalia sat down next to his feet. "I already told you I wasn't mad."

"I get the feeling you still are," he grumbled in reply. "After all, you tend to hold onto things like that. Trust me, I would know. Remember when I accidentally froze your wheelchair and you fell flat out on your butt? You bruised your tailbone and wouldn't speak to me for the rest of the day until I rubbed your back and made you a hot bath. Trust me. I think you're somewhat pissed that I went behind your back and called Agent Coulson."

"Well of course I'm still a little pissed Donnie, that's not the point. The point is that I realized that you were right. I put my own ego aside to realize that someone else was right this time and accepted it gracefully."

Removing the pillow from his face, he watched her warily. "And you're being straight with me here? No trying to go see him and run tests on him yourself?"

"Yes."

Halfway sitting on the couch, he tossed the pillow down to the floor, looking up at her. "I'm not sure I would believe you," he said warily.

"Okay, really?" Thalia laughed, moving closer. "I already said I was sorry, I already said I wasn't mad at you and I already said I wouldn't go and run my tests on him at their base!" She began playfully hitting him in the chest. "Why! Won't! You! Believe! Me!"

Catching her hands, he pulled them up and around his neck, making her squeak as she was brought millimeters in front of his face. "Maybe it's because I worry you are going to run your own personal agenda," he said quietly. "To not listen and go run your tests anyways."

"Well I can't exactly leave when I am currently being preoccupied with previous matters, now can I?" she replied ambiguously.

"I guess not." Clearly distracted by how close she was, he leaned in, brushing his nose across hers. "J'espère que vous vous rendez compte que je vais faire quelques très mauvaises choses pour vous sur ce canapé," he whispered softly, pressing his lips to hers before she could say anything back.

Breaking the kiss, she laughed. "Are you now? I'd like to see that happen."

~G.A.M.E.~

Watching the Inhuman being examined, Coulson looked on in bewilderment, noticing Daisy's sudden presence next to him.

"Donnie said that this one actually went  _looking_ for Thalia. Went to all the risks of getting caught by anyone to find her. Why?"

"From what we gathered from him, he had heard of what she was capable of, being a scientist and all." Coulson switched his folded arms. "A person that studies biological weapons and their effects on people. And from his lack of memory, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that he thinks some kind of biological weapon did this to him and gave him his abilities."

"Well, he isn't wrong. Terrigenesis is a biological catalyst that activates dormant genes in our DNA. Humans would see that as a bio-weapon."

"But then he also said that he heard she wasn't entirely human, either. Who else besides us knows that?"

"Besides Carroll, no one. That info is kept on a tight leash at all times. Garrett's living associates only saw her as Gifted, not half-Asgardian." Daisy looked at him. "It isn't possible that Christina told him, did she?"

"We haven't heard from her in a while. Could be. After all, she took a field trip in her body and found out just from being inside her for a maximum of a half hour that she was a major in BioWeapons. Any other information like that could've been easily found out. But then that would compromise Donnie's location, and from what we gathered from her behavior, she has a really weird relationship with him."

"As it turns out, she was partial to his training in Hydra, but not present at his brainwashing session. She had grown to know him." Daisy frowned. "Which means since he's fond of Thalia..."

"She wouldn't risk compromising their location, either." Coulson swore under his breath. "This isn't something I'm liking, Skye."

"Daisy."

"Damn it," he muttered. "Point is, it isn't us that's leaking the info. And it isn't them. So someone is gearing to get on my bad side today."

~*~

Tucked between Donnie and the couch, she kissed the small smattering of scars on his left shoulder. "Je t'aime," she said softly, nuzzling him.

"And now they stay," he said softly, letting his thumb brush across the fading marks down her throat. "See what happens when you listen to me?"

"I didn't listen to you when you gave me your vague warning in French. 'I'm going to do some very bad things to you on this couch.'"

"I didn't mean right now, you goofball," he smiled, receiving a laugh from her and another kiss. "Unless you have other plans," he said ominously, reaching down to tickle her sides. She smacked his hands away.

"If I'm honest, I was somewhat disappointed."

"All we did was make out on this couch for almost a half hour and you're disappointed because I didn't throw you down and have my way with you?" He teasingly raised an eyebrow. "You're sending so many mixed signals. No, yes, maybe in a bit, then no and maybe again."

She smiled sleepily. "Sue me, I'm tired."

"Then maybe you should go to bed."

"Good idea." She yawned. "Carry me?"

The doorbell rang. "I got it," he said softly, reaching for a blanket.

"No, it's for me." Thalia sat up. "It's Sam."

"Well how about I put on a movie for when you get back?"

"Will it be an absolutely  _boring_  movie that we can fall asleep to?"

He picked up the remote, turning on Netflix. Tucking the end under his chin, he said, "Maybe?"

Standing, she ambled to the front door, opening it and seeing the dark skinned teenager at the front door. "Hey."

"Look, it's my fault that guy came here."

Thalia frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"That guy, the Inhuman or whatever they call themselves," Sam said hurriedly, stepping over the threshold. "I ran into him stumbling through Redwood National Park saying something had happened to him, that he took these pills and began hallucinating, hallucinated being encased in rock..." He shook his head. "I stopped and asked if I could help and he said he needed to know if there was someone that could help him get off the 'major acid trip' he was on. So the first person that came to mind was you."

"So he somehow walked from Redwood to Malibu. That's over seven  _hundred_  miles!"

"Yeah, I may have also given him a ride. Flying at Mach-1 can get pretty handy. I was here in about an hour." Noticing her look of absolute abhorrence, he winced. "Sorry?"

"You're telling me," she scowled, "that the guy that could kill people just by  _touching them_ , was brought here, by you, who now also knows my dirty little secret of nonhuman heritage?"

Sam then flinched. "Yes?"

Her hands then sparked furiously, causing the power to surge. "Usted  _idiota_! Coulson piensa que alguien filtró que hacia fuera, que existe una brecha en el círculo secreto de personas que saben que--"

"Lo siento, fue un accidente!" Sam raked his hands through his hair. "Pensé que ya no era humano incluso, él reconocería te para lo mismo!"

"¿Eres estúpido? El hombre acudió solo a través de una transformación, no va a entender! Probablemente pasó toda su vida sabiendo no de su herencia alienígena y usted le dijo, 'Hey, hay una chica que vive en California que ha como ustedes ella es Asgardian en vez de inhumanos!'"

"No es mi culpa!" Sam exclaimed in despair. "Pensé que todas las especies no humanas podrían reconocer a alguien que no humanos, como puedo!"

"No todo el mundo puede hacer eso, Sam!" Thalia rubbed her hand across her face. "No puedo hacer eso, y yo soy mitad alien!"

"Bueno fue una suposición razonable! Algunos Kree puede hacerlo, por lo que asumí que el gen podría transmitido a futuras generaciones inhumanas!"

"Dios, era tan imprudente!" Thalia sighed deeply, putting her forehead on the marble counter top. "¿Qué pasa si él había dicho alguien sobre mí? Luego terminaría con mi identidad borrado y la vida en algún otro lugar sin mi familia!" Keeping her hand pressed to her forehead and her eyes shut, she said, "Usted necesita tener cuidado! Entiendo que eres nuevo y no necesariamente significa que, sólo ten cuidado cuando dices estas cosas. Esa información es muy peligrosa tener flotando." Opening her eyes, she stood in front of Sam. "Do you understand?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry."

She straightened her features. "Would you like something to eat? I guess flying everywhere like that take a toll on you."

"No thank you, I'm good."

"Then maybe you could chill here for a bit until the rain lets up? I'm sure the near four hour flight from here to New York is going to be quite long and I don't want you to get sick."

"Since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell I moved back to Carefree." Sam crossed his arms. "You care an awful lot for someone that's still recovering from getting shot."

She leaned her head softly to the side. "I'll live, Sam."

"You are so damn persistent," he sighed. "Same as Anna."

"Well, she was probably a lot tougher. She would've been out of the hospital sooner."

"And then she'd be sitting on her ass by Fury's order for at least two months afterwards for pushing so damn hard."

"Well Fury can't boss me around anymore."

"But Donnie can." Sam raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face. "And something tells me he already does."

"I listen to what he has to say and I take it into consideration."

"And do you consider what he says often?"

She half smiled, playfully throwing a punch. "Shut up."

"Well I'd like to see you try." Sam smiled slowly. "Because if I recall, getting shot is no fun feat."

"You've been shot before?"

"Through the shoulder. Passed clean under my scapula. When Anna saw she said 'Son of a bitch!', stuffing the wound with webbing to keep it closed until we got back to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Did it heal?"

"I was in Nova mode at the time, so yeah, no scar, no damage whatsoever."

Thalia looked towards her room. "Well thanks for stopping by."

"No problem," he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. "Stay safe for me."

"Can do, Buckethead."

He laughed, taking his helmet from his backpack. When he put it on and flew off, she picked up a bag of popcorn, popping it in her hands as she made the walk back to her room. Donnie looked over the couch, asking, "So what was with the Spanish soap opera I heard being acted out in the kitchen?"

She shook her head. "Sam stopped by. We talked. Well, yelled. I yelled at him." Climbing over the back to sit in his lap, she said, "It's alright. I got everything under control."  
~*~  
 _"It's all about control," Bakshi said softly. "Learning to let each individual ribbon of emotion through enough to keep control."_

_"Why? Christina told me that there can't be any emotions in it."_

_"But that's the beauty of it, isn't it?" Sunil smiled softly. "The trick is to practice control without them so no one emotion can determine whether someone lives or dies. The process is a mechanism so that when need it you don't need something to conjure it up because it's already there, at your fingertips." Bringing his hands together, he said, "Now, try again."_

_Picking up the cup of water, he cleared his head, trying to make the water solidify into ice. When it wouldn't turn, he set his jaw, setting the cup down. "Damn it."_

_"It's alright to be frustrated," Sunil assured him. "Not everyone can do it on the first try."_

_"I was hopeful."_

_"Everyone is." Sunil looked up to see the dark look on Donnie's face. "But you were more. Why?"_

_"Because it'd be the first time I was good at something without my father criticizing me for it."_

_"Your father wasn't a supporter of your talents, was he?" Sunil asked, and Donnie shook his head solemnly. "And you see me as sort of a father figure, which is why you were disappointed it didn't work out. Trust me, Donnie, I won't criticize you for not doing everything right the first time. The point of these exercises is to get total control of your abilities, no matter the time." Checking his watch, Sunil straightened his tie. "Well I'm sorry Donnie, but Mister Whitehall is on his way here for an important meeting."_

_Nodding his head, Donnie strayed towards the cup, running his fingertips against the cup's rim. Instantly, the cup became encased in ice, much to Donnie's and Bakshi's delight. "Good job," Baskhi praised Donnie, handing him a CD. "Here. A reward."_

_"Of what?"_

_"Just watch it," Bakshi nodded, calling one of the guards to take Donnie to his room. "I'm sure you'll like it."_

_In the end, he did like it, somewhat reminiscently. The content of the CD proved itself to be a recording of Seth's funeral, where many of his friends and family were there. His remaining sister and mother were sobbing over each other, with Callie's stern expression set in stone as she watched his grave under her umbrella. Even as somber as it was, he watched it each day until the CD began skipping, reminding himself of the awful price his life was worth. Until the Sandbox takeover, when they activated his brainwashing; as he stormed the base, Bakshi in his ear telling him what to do, where to go. It wasn't until he had reached the rooms, scanning each one with a watchful eye when he heard a crunch under his foot. Looking down, he saw a shattered CD under his foot. Bending down to pick it up, he immediately remembered the funeral, especially the way Callie picked up the camera at the end of the video, looking into the viewfinder._

_"Hey Donnie, it's me," Callie said softly. "I heard what happened with Seth and the machine. And as much as you two were complete idiots with that machine of yours, I know you were onto something there. Agent Weaver said you were hurt badly, she actually said the two of you were struck with lightning and were barely breathing when Agent Simmons and Fitz found you guys. But Seth died in it and you were rushed to the hospital, which I know is absolute crap. But I can't question it, so I filmed this for you in case you aren't out of the 'hospital' by time Seth's funeral came around. I know Seth would've wanted you here. I miss him too." She sighed. "Well the screen on this thing is saying the battery's almost dead so I'm gonna shut this off and get it uploaded to the computer."_

_Then he immediately snapped out of it, realizing the scale of what he'd done. Killed dozens of people, injured hundreds more. Pulling the earpiece out, he crushed it under his foot, fleeing the base with his things; stealing a car, he then began to drive, uncaring of where he ended up as long as it was somewhere far from there._

Snapping out of his dream, he looked around. Outside was dark, still profusely raining. Checking the time, he shook Thalia awake. "Lia, wake up."

She groaned softly. "Why?"

"We need to go to bed, it's past midnight," he whispered. "Come on, let's brush our teeth."

Standing, they made their way to the bathroom, where the two sleepily began to brush their teeth. Hearing a set of footsteps outside the room, he looked into the hall, seeing Amora's veiled figure entering the hallway. "Donald, what are you doing awake?"

"Just woke up from watching a movie," he answered through a mouthful of toothpaste. "What are you doing up?"

"I just returned from my periodic visit to my cottage." She removed her hood. "I do have business in Asgard that I attend to quite frequently, nephew. I took the pumpkin pie Thalia made back there and discovered that not only is it delicious, but is also imbued with some interesting properties. It tames bilgesnipes." She laughed. "To imagine, a giant beast with scales and antlers is subdued by the power of pumpkin pies. Anyways, good night to you and Thalia."

~*~

Ian knocked on the door, twisting the knob and pushing the heavy door open. "Thalia, wake up," he called out brightly. "I have a surprise for you," he added as incentive. Approaching her bed, he looked at the fluffed duvet, seeing her head of dark hair and smiling.

"Thalia, he's trying to get your attention," he heard Donnie's roughened voice tell her. "So answer him."

Pushing her into a sitting position, Thalia fought him playfully, finally sitting on her own. She turned to Ian, a sleepy smile gracing her face to match her mussed black hair. "Yes?"

"How would you two like a day out today?"

She pulled her eyebrows together. "You're confusing me."

"I have the opening of your biomedical factory today and figured that you two could be there for the opening and the party."

"Is it dress-formal?"

"No? You can wear a dress if you want."

"Okay, when is the opening?"

"This afternoon."

"Okay, then give us about an hour and a half and we'll be ready to go," she smiled again, sinking back into bed. "Yes, because the both of us are going, you introverted Inuk!" Thalia laughed, unearthing Donnie from the thick quilt and making him squint against the sunlight.

"That's racist," he snarked. "I'm nowhere near there."

"Well then get up, you grumpy Scot," she ordered, pushing him into a sitting position. Shaking his head with a smile on his face, Ian left the room, giving them time to awaken.

"Ha!" She declared triumphantly, getting him to sit and wrapping her legs around his back to keep him upright. "Now you can't go back to sleep."

"No I cannot," he said knowingly, rolling over and laying on top of her. She pouted exaggeratedly. "And neither can you."

"Well of course not, you're pressing your hips into mine," she laughed, letting out a soft noise as he shifted until his hips rested on top of hers. "And now you're doing  _that_." She loosened her legs from around him, letting them rest at his sides. "I had a dream where I woke up like this once, you know."

"Really?" Donnie asked in an amused tone.

"You pinned me down to the bed, laughing at the dream I had. You know, dream inside a dream type thing." He nodded, watching her intently. "And I had said something that had made you get really embarrassed to the point where you had buried your face in my collarbone, your cheeks flaming red."

"Can you remember what it was that you said that made me get horrifically embarrassed?"

Thalia smiled. "Well now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Pinning her wrists above her head, she squeaked. "That happened in my dream, too."

Dipping down, he pressed his lips to hers. She wove her fingers through his, softly nibbling on his lip. He stopped kissing her, blowing a cloud of icy breath onto her neck before kissing her pulse point. "I'm awake  _now_ ," he mumbled into her throat, kissing down below her collarbone. Taking one hand, he pulled down the hem of her tank top, slowly smooching a line down between her breasts.

"Donnie..." she half laughed and sighed, "we need to get in the shower."

"We still have over an hour until the opening. Why do we need to get in now?"

"Do you know how long it takes me to get ready?"

"You realize it is just me that knows you don't put on makeup, right?"

"It gives me a  _sense of normalcy_ , Donnie!" She freed a hand, raking it through his hair and pulling his face up. "Come on, shower. Now."

A smirk lit up his face. Nuzzling her, he softly bit down on the soft skin under the neckline of her shirt. "Damn it, you!" She flipped them over, pressing a hand to her chest. "What did I say about biting?"

"'Take your love bites elsewhere.' So I did."

"And your brilliant genius deduced that when I say that, you think to start getting creative and biting me in other places?" Pulling down the neckline of her shirt, she inspected the tender area where the purpling bite mark marred the skin. "That was my boob, you jerk! What if I bit you?"

"You and your Asgardian muscles would cause your teeth to break skin. So in short terms, not fun."

"Apologize."

"What?"

"You heard me. Apologize. That's going to bruise and I am not going to cover it up. So when everybody asks me, 'Thalia, where on Earth did that come from?' I am going to tell them instead of my fiancé getting handsy, he got toothy instead."

His eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I would," she nodded with a severe look on her face. "You've already put me in a bad mood."

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed dramatically. "I didn't mean to hurt you. And because I  _really_ don't want to get in trouble with your dad."

"Donnie at this point it's really just a huge crapshoot. We could eventually be be married and you'd be the father of our adopted children and he'd be pissed because you laid a finger on me." She leapt off the bed. "Now come on!"  
***  
Admiring how Thalia studied the new factory, Ian watched on as Donnie tried his hardest to keep up with her, pulling her away from dangerous machinery. Spinning around, he could see her speaking to him with barely contained glee, her mouth forming the words, "This is all ours" to him.

"And you can do whatever you desire, Thalia."

She danced around him in high heels, her dress skirt fanning out around her. Knowing she didn't hear him, he still just watched contently, Thalia explaining to Donnie animatedly what her plans were for the factory. A feeling of absolute satisfaction came over him, making itself known by the content grin on his face. And a single thought filtered through his brain.

_Everything_   _was perfect._

He had his business straight, he had everything in order, he had Thalia back. And then Thalia was going to marry someone whom she loved dearly, reciprocating every ounce of affection that Donnie doled onto her. How eventually, he would possibly have grandchildren running around his feet. Now  _that_ was a thought he was going to have to get used to having. Thalia one day being a mom... That was something he could smile about. For a moment, he didn't focus on the sobering fact that she'd outlive them all, but rather how in a few short years, she would have a family of her own. A fresh start. 

"Dad? Hello?" Thalia waved her hand in his face. "Hey, Donnie and I are gonna go home, alright? The party isn't really either of our scene."

"Sure," he nodded. "Just be careful."

She nodded, leading Donnie out to their car and leaving Ian with the euphoria of his appreciation for his daughter.

~G.A.M.E.~

Entering the front door, Donnie swept Thalia off of her feet. "What's up with the bridal style?"

"I know those shoes are hurting your feet," he explained. "And because I don't need a reason."

"Niece?" Amora called. "Is that you?"

"Yes, Aunt Amora!"

"Excellent!" The giantess approached them, wearing a gossamer-like green dress with her hair done up. "I have something for the two of you. Follow me."

"Why?"

"It is a gift from me to the two of you." As they approached Thalia's room, Amora said, "I couldn't perform my gift to you in its original form, with my dear niece being intolerant to alcohol, as odd as it seems for an Asgardian to be intolerant, but no matter. I, with my vast knowledge, have managed to make something just as grand." She sighed. "I also could not procure swords seeing as neither of your families had them."

"Why does your gift to us involve swords?"

"Old Viking tradition. Now here," she waved her hands, making their clothes shift into completely different things. Small swirls of magic wove through Thalia's hair, forming many different and elaborate braids, while her dress shifted into a gauzy, translucent white and lost its sleeves, the skirt falling to below her knees; Donnie's shifted into black pants and a skintight shirt.

"Aunt Amora, what is going on?"

"If I must answer, it is a protection ritual. They're taken very seriously, for everyone involved. Which is why your clothes changed. A serious matter as such means you display absolute seriousness. Now come you two." Leading them to a small yet intricate table, she picked up a large needle. "Give me your hands."

Faithfully offering their hands, she quickly stabbed their thumbs with the end of the needle, squeezing their fingers to make the blood well up. Ignoring their hisses of pain, she then pressed their thumbs together, wrapping their hands in different strips of colored silk. "Now, I must say a few words in the original language from which this is derived." As she began chanting in a low voice, the silk strips began glowing softly. Unable to understand the language being spoken, Thalia pressed her thumb harder against his, seeing his eyes begin to darken with something strange.

And then she heard Amora in her head.  _Do you promise to protect him to the best of your abilities and love him as he does this for you?_

"Yes."

She then vocalized the question to him. "Yes."

The silk then burst in an explosion of light, making Donnie take her and cover her eyes from the bright light. When it faded, the strips then disintegrated off their joined hands, and they pulled their thumbs away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Thalia answered dazedly, looking at her thumb. The skin healed over, returning to normal as Donnie's did the same, something she hadn't noticed before. Could it possibly have been her blood being introduced to his system? "Are you?"

He nodded, holding her gently and kissing her hairline. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," she answered. "You?"

"My mouth feels cottony," he twisted his lips. "That was some weird thing your aunt did." Looking down to her, he asked, "Do I feel...warm?"

"My hands are pretty useless at determining that," she laughed softly, placing her hands on his cheeks. "But you do feel a little warm. Maybe it was just my blood temporarily raising your temperature." She smiled, running her thumb along his cheekbone. "See? All cooled off now."

"I feel weird."

"Well of course you do, lune," she assured him. "You just had a mini transfusion of Asgardian blood. That's gonna stick to you for a bit." Pressing the palm of her hand to his cheek, she said, "It's nothing to worry about."

Pressing his hands against her ribs, he abruptly kissed her, making her feel reminiscent of their first shared kiss. The awkwardness of it, yet the sweet unfurling of their romance lingered underneath it; this one was similar, full of similar awkwardness at the thought of being in her aunt's company. Parting their kiss briefly, she cupped her hands around his eyes, looking at him. "It's okay, no one's here but us," she spoke softly, smoothing back his hair with her hands and rising to her toes to see him at eye level. "Nobody but us."

Picking her up, he kissed her again (she deduced that it must have been another effect of her blood being introduced to Donnie's system with how easily he picked her up), pulling her closer until a piece of paper couldn't get between them. "Shall I leave you two?"

"Yes please," she sighed, the soft exhale quickly becoming a soft moan as Donnie kissed the tender spot under her jaw, her fingers curling into the hair on the back of his head. When the door closed, he brought his lips back to hers, gripping her leg and rubbing a circle of ice into her thigh.

As she arched into him, he grabbed a fistful of her skirt, pushing it up to her hips before impatiently tugging her closer. "Hey, Speed Racer," she joked. When he didn't answer, she brought her face to his.

"What's wrong?"

"Slow down," she suggested softly. "I'm lost a thousand miles behind you."

Setting her down on the floor, he let her take a few steps back, waiting until she was against the edge of the bed to pull off his shirt. When he approached her, she let a few of her fingertips graze across his shoulder, feeling the smooth scars marring his left shoulder. "I'm sorry," she breathed, kissing the small marks of white skin. Slowly she kissed the skin leading up to his jaw, meeting his gaze and pressing her lips to his. Smattering kisses along his cheeks and ears, she laughed at him beginning to seize up when her lips brushed across the whorl of his ear. "Are your ears ticklish?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and running her fingertips softly across his ears.

"Stop that!" He grabbed her hands, pinning them down to the bed. "My ears are not ticklish," he claimed adamantly. "They are sensitive."

Her lips pulled themselves into a crooked half-smile. "Are they now? Are you sure they aren't that way because they are ticklish?"

"Don't give me that look, Thalia." He locked eyes with her, her brown and blue eyes gleaming with amusement. "I'm not ticklish."

Curling her fingers into the plush fabric of the blanket beneath her hands, she continued holding the intense stare with Donnie, his gaze unwavering and otherwise chilling unless one knew that it was simply a façade. He leaned in closer, his hands leaving her and finding her cheeks, just staring deep into her eyes and piercing her down to her core.

"Thalia," his voice roughly rasped her name and it sent delightful shivers down her spine and throughout her body. Because God, it was so heavenly the way he said her name unevenly and roughly; the sigh of air after her name, as though even saying her name took his breath away.

"Donnie."

Tilting her head back, she pushed herself up onto the bed, her hand wrapped around the back of his neck as she kissed him. Falling backwards onto the bed, she laughed as he jumped onto the bed, hovering over her. "You're so serious," she giggled, reaching up to smooth the hair down around his temples. Catching her hands, he brought them down to the bed, dragging them up the silky sheets until they were over her head.

"Do you trust me?"

Without hesitation, she relied, "A hundred percent."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	30. Handle With Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Tiff, because internet is a blessing (even if the travel and conditions met are less than fun). Happy late Christmas to you.

When he strode into the dining room, he visibly relaxed when Thalia was dressed in pajama pants and a tank top and setting out plates on the table, her black hair floating around her in a shiny veil. "Hey Lia." He took her in his arms, kissing her temple.  "Glad you're okay. I really am sorry about energy blast hitting you."

"Well, your suggestion worked. I just let myself sit in a hot bath for a while. The heat did good," she beamed, pressing her lips to his. "But just in case, I cranked up the heat and had the guards check all the weather stripping. As usual, our joined minds came up with a solution. Now sit, I made bow tie Alfredo for dinner."

Taking a seat opposite her, he heartily ate his food, not opening his mouth to complain about its temperature. "I guess that makes what I bought seem pretty redundant, huh?"

Thalia set her fork down on the edge of her plate. "What did you buy?"

"An electric blanket," he proffered.

"Lune, you didn't--"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn, don't you dare tell me it wasn't needed when you had temps as low as eighty-one degrees Fahrenheit." She straightened her spine. "We could both use it."

Changing the subject, she said, "So, is Dad going to be home tonight?"

"He's in Malta," Donnie answered. "Sends his deepest apologies that he couldn't be here."

Regret flickered across her face briefly before she cleared it away. Standing to clear her plate, she heard him say, "He wanted to apologize about not making his birthday."

"It's no big deal," she sniffled. "I mean it's not like his first birthday with me in twelve years, but it's okay." She wiped tears from her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

When he stood to try and console her, she shied away from him, padding softly to her room. Immediately whipping out his phone, he dialed Ian's number, waiting for the call to go through. "You better be on your way here now."

"Donnie, I told you, I'm held up here."

"Well thanks to whatever reason you have for being 'held up', Thalia is in tears because you're not here. And I'm no big expert on familial relations, but when your daughter decides she wants to have a small, private party for the father she missed these past eleven or twelve years, usually the dad, having not seen his child in that time, would be ecstatic to spend that time with her."

"Will you tell her I'm sorry?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm being held up with my emotional responsibility to her as her fiancé to clean up your mess." Hanging up the phone, he followed her into her room. Thalia was folding her laundry on the couch, her face set in a purposefully blank, unreadable expression. "I'm not going to defend him and his inability to handle time properly."

"Good. Because I'm not going to hear it either." She set down a stack of neatly folded shirts. "I put weeks into this, I was planning this even while I was on bed rest and life support and that _bastard_ had the audacity to fly _halfway_ around the world for some stupid crisis with his estate there in _Malta_ three days before his birthday. I'm not even gonna talk about it. It pisses me off far too much."

"What do you mean 'crisis with his estate'?"

"Some dumbass broke into his estate trying to get some stupid message to him, and he thinks that instead of ignoring it, he goes to find out what this idiot's deal is." Adding her clothes to her dresser, she snarled, "Well he can enjoy Malta all he damn well pleases."

"Then stop worrying about him. If he can't make it to his party, then that's on him. It'll be his fault for missing such a rare event." Donnie wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her head, causing her stiff stance to soften a little. "Instead, help me break in the new blanket."

"I really hope that's a euphemism, because I don't want to think about it right now. I don't want to think about anything at all right now."

~*~

Letting Donnie press his lips down the length of her face, she ran her hand up his back, digging her fingertips into his shoulder when his lips met hers. With the warmth of the electric blanket combined with the cool of Donnie's skin made it a near perfect environment. Letting him pinion her hands above her head, he ran ice down the backs of her arms, making goosebumps prickle along her skin; he then froze her hands in place, stroking and nuzzling down her body until reaching the middle of her stomach, where he kissed the unscarred skin with enough hinting at just knowing what he was thinking to melt her icy restraints and run a hand through his hair.

"The more you think about it the more it'll eat at you."

He stopped what he was doing, coming back up. "I can't help it."

Softly telling him to sit up, she sat on his lap, crossing her legs behind him. "Well, I can. Do you want me to?"

He shook his head. "The less amount of influence I have in my head, the better."

She gasped theatrically. "That is insulting. As your fiancée, I should have the most influence in your head."

He laughed softly. "Not that way."

She smiled. Pressing her hands to his cheeks, she watched as his breath steamed mildly. "Lune de ma vie, I'm not going to lecture you. What are you so nervous about?"

"You do realize that you do that to me. Make my breath steam and everything."

"So," she began, "I took your advice and started looking for a place for us in Quebec."

"Isn't it a little early for that?"

"Well there's discussing deals, getting payments set up, packing up our things, customs and getting Canadian paperwork. Then there's actually moving there. That can take up to a year or two to do. But I found a really beautiful home there."

"Really?"

"It's address is 802 Ch. des Skieurs, Mont-Tremblant," she gushed. "And it's got a mountain view and plenty of room for people to visit." Hiding behind her hair, she shyly added, "I might have also scheduled a viewing to see it."

He raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"The tenth of December?"

He leaned back. "Thalia, how are we going to get there on the tenth? Today's the eighth."

"A lot of begging and elbow grease." She smiled. "I told the real estate agent Herbert that it would be a good thing on his portfolio if he made the deal. I might have said something about it being for a reasonably well off client."

"But you are well off."

"Have been for a while," she whispered, brushing her nose against his. Before they could kiss, her phone began buzzing on the nightstand. Scooping it up, Donnie passed it to her, who glanced at it briefly before passing it back to him. "It's not worth answering."

"Well you can't keep ignoring him."

"I have a life of my own, I can ignore him all I want."

~G.A.M.E.~

Picking up her laptop, a red flashing warning sign danced across the screen. "Coulson!" Daisy yelled, calling him into the room.

"What?"

"Guess who's trying to leave the country?" She turned the screen to face him. Thalia's and Donnie's faces were on the screen. Pulling out his phone, he typed in a few numbers, pressing the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, this is Customs, I need to speak to a few passengers on flight AA14."

"Which ones, sir?"

"Her name is Thalia Quinn, and the male is Donald Gill."

"One moment." A brief silence passed, replaced by Thalia's voice. "Yes?"

"What are you two up to?"

"I choose to plead the Fifth, Coulson." He could visualize her sour look. "Why is 'Customs' on my ass about flying to Canada with my fiancé?"

"Why are you flying to Canada with Donnie?"

"Because I can!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "I am a grown woman able to spend her time with her fiancé."

"Don't make me say it."

She scoffed. "Say _what_?"

"The Amendments of the Constitution only apply to _human beings_ born in the United States of America. I could hang you up in so many technicalities that it'd be unreal. I'd put you on the no-fly list if it meant getting answers."

"You sick bastard, you wouldn't dare." When Donnie asked her what she meant, she said, "He's telling me that since I'm not fully human, my Constitutional rights are nonexistent. So he could torture me like a goddamn enemy spy and I'd have no rights whatsoever."

Donnie quickly swiped the phone from Thalia's hand. "If you threaten my fiancée like that again, I will put you through hell like none other. Call back when you want to apologize."

~*~

"Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for takeoff," the attendant's voice advised. Taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly, Thalia sat down in her plane seat, letting him do the same.

Buckling his seat belt, Donnie turned to her and asked, "So, does this real estate agent know about us living in California or not?"

"I might have slipped that it would take us a while to get there and he said he would be waiting for us when we get there, but no. Something tells me that I think he's more interested in the fact that a high profile person of interest is looking at this house."

"How's Ward going to meet us there?"

"I don't know, but he asked me to not pay for him. Said that I've already been far too kind to him and he doesn't want it sitting heavier on him." She chewed her lip. "But no doubt he'll probably wind up there at the same time as us. Might even find us at the airport." Turning to him she asked, "So, your birthday is in a few weeks. Do you know what you want to do yet?"

"I fell victim to it. Thalia Quinn's infamous word traps," he laughed. "No. I haven't. But you can tell me all about what we're gonna do on that day during the flight." Smiling softly, he added, "You know, I enjoyed our little intimate moments earlier."

"Did you now? How so?"

"Um, from my point of view, I found it pretty freaking fantastic that we were managing to have an intelligent conversation while semi-naked. Had we not needed to be in Canada tomorrow, we would probably still be in that same position, with me half listening and half thinking that I could pull you just a little closer and start kissing you."

A blush spread over her cheeks. "Well, the flight lands at around one in the morning. Maybe we could get a room to crash in before the viewing?"

He picked up her hand, kissing it thoroughly. "Sounds like a great idea."

~*~

Waiting for the line to pick up, Ian was met with "This is Thalia, leave a message!" and instantly cringed.

"Thalia, I'm sorry. My plane has some mechanical difficulties and it'll be docked here until they can get fixed. Donnie told me what you had been doing, the cake you had made and everything and I feel awful. He also told me about how upset you were and I feel absolutely terrible. I know it's my first birthday with you in over a decade, and I wish I was there. Love you." Hanging up the phone, he quickly called the house. "Where's Thalia?"

"Couldn't tell you that, boss," the guard on the phone replied. "Both her and Donnie have been missing since the ninth, along with that Ward guy."

"What?"

"Yeah, they left with a couple of suitcases on the ninth and headed for the airport."

"Why?"

"No clue."

"If I wanted brainless fools protecting my daughter, I'd go to--" Pulling the phone away from his ear, he saw a strange contact light up the screen. "I have to go."

Hanging up one call and switching to another, he said, "Who's this?"

"Don't worry, they're fine."

"Where are you guys?"

"Canada!" Ward announced. "Donnie and Thalia had been making plans to move to Quebec and they're looking at a house in Mont-Tremblant. It's quite a beautiful house, if I say so myself."

"I should fire you for not even telling me they left the country!"

"I don't work for you," Ward replied nonchalantly. "I perform a security detail for Thalia and Donnie outside of your business."

"Wait a minute, they want to move to Canada?"

"Have been for some time now, Ian. Since maybe September?" Ward conversed briefly with Thalia before returning. "Yeah, she thinks September too. I know a few people in Canadian customs that can get their paperwork pushed through faster, but soon, those two'll be on their way to having their own family."

Ian fell silent. "So they really are leaving."

"Not yet. Even if my guys can push their paperwork through quicker, it still takes about a year for everything to be finalized."

"Well tell her I called and left a message."

"Can do."

~*~

"Il est tout à fait une belle propriété, entourée de trois hectares de forêts. Si vous cherchez à acheter, vous ne serez pas déçu."

"Comment serait-il possible pour les familles? J'ai une tante qui visite fréquemment et mon fiancé et je veux fonder une famille ici."

"Il serait un merveilleux endroit pour élever des enfants. Il y aurait beaucoup de place pour eux. Ils adoreraient la piscine et qu'ils peuvent participer au ski."

"Excuse us, we'd like to talk about it in private."

"Of course, take all the time you need."

Donnie turned to her. "Are you sure this is the one you want?"

"Positive. This would be such a great place to raise kids, don't you think?" Her eyes were blown wide with wonder and curiosity. "The peace and quiet, the privacy... It'd give us ample space to use our gifts freely."

"And you're sure that any children we would have in the future won't be freaked out by the fact that we have superpowers?"

"Oh come on," Thalia said sweetly. "How cool would it be to hear any of them say that we're their superheroes? Literally!"

"Yes, Dad can boil and freeze water; and Mom can make it snow, storm, practice magic _and_ keep up her sharp wit all at the same time."

"I think you're starting to get used to the idea of having kids with me, aren't you?"

"Nobody else I'd rather think of doing so with." He sighed softly. "Except maybe..."

"Seth would be proud of you, Donnie. Coming this far and developing so much than when you two first met." She cocked her head to the side. "He would want you to be happy like you are now."

"I guess you're right." He hugged her from behind. "It's a beautiful house, like you said. We could set up a mini-lab in the guest house if we wanted to."

Thalia approached the agent. "I think I'm liking this house a lot."

"Good, good!" Herbert beamed. "So, what do you want to do from here?"

"I'm wanting to buy," Thalia answered smoothly. "I wanted a nice, private place to have a family and you did nothing short of impressing me."

"Are you sure this is the one? There are many other properties I could show you, ma'am."

"Fun fact: in the few months we've known each other, she's not changed her mind on near anything. This house is one of those things."

"Well even if you're set on this house, it is quite expensive. Nine million Canadian."

"Nothing I can't handle," Thalia shrugged, turning to Donnie. "That's what, 6.8 mil American?"

"6.79, but close."

"You are American?"

"Yes, but Donnie and I want to move here. My aunt says it's beautiful here."

"What teenagers have almost seven million dollars to just buy a house with?"

"Her dad is a billionaire in the States," Donnie answered. "Runs a conglomerate corporation, I think that's what he calls it?"

"So you wish to buy upfront?"

She nodded. "Yes sir."

"Well, the paperwork isn't with me currently, but if you give me your address, I can have it mailed to you so it can be filled out."

"Sure." When Herbert walked away, Thalia quickly spun on her heels to face Donnie. "It's really happening!" she exclaimed excitedly, hugging him. "My first house."

"I thought we were going live together here."

"I'll put your name on the papers too, you dork." She gathered her things together. "Ward?"

"Yes?"

"Are you ready to leave?"

"When you are." Ward picked up the car keys. "Where to?"

"Airport. I have a meeting in New York tomorrow."

Donnie looked at her. "With who?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"Don't play the mystery mind games with me. It's not Dream Boy, is it?"

She laughed, taking a metal cube out of her purse and showing it to him. "No. I finally finished making that serum and I need a safe place to put it."

"And where would that be?"

Scowling, she put it back. "You'll find out when we get there."

~*~  
"Plane hopping seems to be a talent of yours," Ward commented, sliding Thalia's purse onto the scanner. "You're more like your father than you realize."

"Poor Donnie, though," Thalia pouted, watching Donnie fumble while placing his things in a tray. "I want to console him."

"He needs to let some social activity in," Ward advised. "Something tells me that being engaged to you means he's going to need some functioning level of social graces."

"Well it isn't his fault. Emotional, verbal and physical abuse causes people to be more withdrawn than people that don't suffer it."

"While that's true, he does need some level of being able to work in a conversation."

"I'll talk with him." She picked her purse up. "And you know, Tony Stark isn't exactly any better in a conversation without coming off as a bit of an ass. If anything, Donnie has better social skills."

"Funny." He picked up his wallet, tucking it back into his pocket. "I think differently."

"Well of course you do. You're you." When they finished going through security, she looped her arm around his, twining their fingers together. "But don't worry, I won't criticize you."

Taking seats in front of their gate, Donnie admitted, "I've never actually been to New York."

"Ward has. He'll be our tour guide."

"I've only been there a few times."

"You've been there more times than either of us have combined."

A voice chimed over the intercom. "Connecting flight AA14 to New York now boarding."

"Come on," Donnie stood. "Let's go board."  
~*~  
"Are you sure you don't want me to get a room for you?" Thalia gripped the handle on her suitcase. "I don't really mind."

"I've got a safehouse not too far from here. I'll be fine." Ward tucked his hands into his pockets. "See you guys in the morning."

She shut the door, heading to the bathroom and starting the water for a shower. Donnie knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"

Waving her hand, the door opened. "What's wrong?"

"So now that we're here, can you tell me who it is that we're taking this serum to?"

"Tony Stark."

Donnie went rigid. "The..?"

"Maybe if I can explain to him what it is, he'll keep it with him until better hands are there to hold it." She turned around to face him. "So on the other hand, would you like to join me? I'll set it on cold."

"No, I'll be okay." He left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. After stripping down and climbing into the shower, she still let thoughts of him cloud her mind. She closed her eyes and began massaging her scalp with shampoo, softly humming and turning in circles. Tilting her head back, she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, languidly taking her time showering until she felt content and needing to leave. Grabbing her things, she emerged with a comb and her various hair products, sitting between Donnie's legs on the bed.

"You ready for me to do your hair?"

She nodded. Taking the comb, he began working through her hair, tugging lightly on her hair. "So, are we going to talk about what happened on the thirtieth?"

"Something tells me that isn't too wise of an idea."

"So you're not the slightest bit curious as to why that happened?" Shivers wracked her body as the teeth of her comb brushed her ear. "Granted, I know the both of us enjoyed it, but it seriously felt incredibly weird."

"How so?"

"If you don't recall, we had sex on top of Asgardian animal skin blankets. You _froze_ my hands above my head to the bed! Granted that was hot as all hell, but you're not the least bit concerned as to _why_ that happened?"

"Not really, no."

"I think you're doing this to screw with me. Remember what Aunt Amora said? She said that the tradition had old Viking roots, and after most of their marriage rituals, the couple's wedding bed would be adorned with none other than _animal skin blankets_."

"You think your aunt married us and we were too stupid to realize it until the lust-fueled brain haze was gone?"

"Yes. I think it's odd that things like that were so specific."

Finishing her hair, he set his chin on her shoulder. "Thalia, you're looking a gift horse in the mouth."

"I'll look the damn horse in the mouth, it's missing teeth," she scowled. "And then on the other hand, I've been feeling so on edge it's nerve wracking."

"You're in a new city. You're gonna be a little nervous."

"Not that kind of on edge feeling."

"Well then maybe the change of setting can help," Donnie suggested, gesturing to the balcony doors. The evening sunlight shone across all the buildings, covering New York in a warm glow. "See? You'll be too busy being entranced to notice how scared you are."

"Let's not forget you've never been here before."

He kissed the back of her neck. "True. But unlike you, I had to learn how to deal with stuff like this growing up."

"I am going to pick your brain to find out how you grew up." She turned around, sitting with her legs crossed. "Where do you think Ward's safehouse is?"

"I don't know."

"Why do you think he wasn't going to stay here?"

"Maybe he has business in New York." Donnie shrugged. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Because I'm trying to get you to talk with me."

"I am talking with you."

She snorted, climbing into bed. "Go to sleep you dork."

~G.A.M.E.~

"Shut up, she's waking up."

"Well how about you shut your fat mouth, Parker?" A girl hissed. "No doubt you're waking her up faster."

"I doubt it. That experimental Spider Bite thing I'm working on knocked her out pretty efficiently."

"You better hope Romanoff doesn't find out you plagiarized her Widow Bites."

"Well mine are completely different. They look like a spider bite but deliver a stunning punch of dendrotoxin on the fangs. Hers stun people with electricity. Which I figured would be problematic."

Coming to find her cheek resting against something cool and sticky, she peeled herself away from the material, cracking an eye open. A mane of dark hair fanned out as the girl turned to face her. "Oh God, I am so sorry. Peter can be such a dumbass sometimes," the girl approached her. Shaking her hands, she found them to be encased in the same sticky material. "For God's sake Peter, you webbed her in too?" The girl pulled her hand up in a claw shape, bringing it down and cutting her hands free.

Thalia shrunk back. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ava," she offered her hand, looking down and retracting the claws attached to her fingertips. "And you are?"

"Thalia Quinn," she answered slowly. Ava swore, spinning on her heel.

"You idiot! You kidnapped Ian Quinn's daughter, who is a Maltese diplomat? Do you know what that could do to American/Maltese relations?"

"No but if you hum a few bars, I'll see if I can't pick up the tune."

"I am gonna kill you," she snarled, turning back to Thalia. "Where did you come from?"

"Big fancy hotel near the Stark Tower?" Thalia looked around in the dark. "Can I go back now? I have no clue what the time is and it's likely that my bodyguard and fiancé are looking for me."

"We are taking her back."

"Not until I get answers," Peter said defiantly. Turning to her, he asked, "What is your full name?"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn."

"Birthday?"

"November tenth, 1995."

"Best friend's name?"

"My best friend is also my fiancé."

"Who is?"

"None of your damn business, Webhead!"

Peter crossed his arms. "You've been talking with Sam."

"Really?" Thalia shot sarcastically. "What scientific method did you use to reach that conclusion?"

"I may not be a super genius like you," Peter spat, "but I know sarcasm when I see it."

"Let me go," she said lowly. "Or I will find my way back myself."

"Fat chance of that. You said you have no idea where you are."

"No, but I can bet that every S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra footman in New York is looking for me. If you haven't noticed, the thing sitting inside this cranium is a pretty hot ticket item among both parties."

"You dumbass!" Ava ran a hand through her hair. "Peter, you better take her back now. If Hydra is looking for her, she's either one of their acquisitions or an enemy of theirs. And either one of those things is tantamount to just telling the world, 'Hey, your friendly neighborhood webhead is not only a teenager, but kidnapped a billionaire's daughter and held her hostage!'"

Thalia began yelling, "Somebody! Help me please!"

Then a gob of the sticky material was shot over her mouth and nose, effectively silencing her. When she began panicking and trying to pull it off, he hissed, "Will you be quiet? It's already stressing enough, I don't need my aunt bailing me out!"

"No Peter, she can't breathe!" Ava bent down to her side, taking the tips of her razor claws to try and cut the webbing away. "I can't get it off! Peter, you need to help me!"

He bent down next to her, trying to hold Thalia down while Ava tried to cut away the webbing. "This crap is like rubber concrete!" Ava hissed to him, running a claw along the material. "Can't she use her abilities to get this stuff off?"

"I made a new formula to resist electromagnetic fields. You know, when Anna stole my shooters and electrocuted me with them for dislocating her shoulder?" Peter sighed. "That's why it's so sticky. I added a compound that increases the insulation so electric current can't run through it."

"Damn it, she's gonna pass out, we have to do something!"

"Where's Sam at? Maybe he can... Melt off the webbing? The compound makes it extremely susceptible at melting at high temperatures and his energy blasts can run upwards of two thousand Celsius."

"Yeah, which would burn off her skin!"

"She'll heal, won't she?" Peter looked down at her. "Wait wait wait wait wait, Ava!"

"What?"

"Sam knows her, he knows who her fiancé is! He has her phone number! He can call her phone from here and have her fiancé and bodyguard come here and help us! Thalia's fiancé is a genius too, right?"

"Her fiancé might strangle you instead."

"And let her die from oxygen deprivation? Fat chance of that, too." 

Their arguing then became muted as Ava's self-fulfilling prophecy came true and she passed out.

~*~

"It's all my fault."

"Donnie, no it's not. Thalia would not just up and leave." Ward crossed his arms. "Now tell me what happened."

"She woke up early this morning and said she was going to go out on the balcony. I was half-asleep and said I was going to join her, but she said I needed the sleep. I went back to sleep and when I woke up, she wasn't there. None of the staff said she left the building."

When her phone began buzzing, Donnie examined the number. "480-6754," he spoke aloud, answering the call. "Yes?"

"Donnie?"

"Sam?"

"Thank God you answered. I need your help with something."

"I'm not sure I can. I'm kind of hung up on something right now."

"Like Thalia not being at the hotel?" Donnie gripped her phone tighter. "Yeah, Peter called me. Apparently he wanted to question her now that she was back in New York and accidentally hit her in the face with webbing equivalent to the non-budging ability of rubber concrete. It covered her mouth and nose and made her go through syncope. And she isn't waking up because they can't get any oxygen to her so Peter told me to call you and see if you could help."

Ward snatched the phone from his hand. "Where?"

"Um, old chalk factory next to the Hudson. Can't miss it."

Ward hung up the phone. "Come on. I'll call some of my men, see if one of them has any oxygen at the safe houses."

Bolting down to the car, he began driving, stopping in front of a hospital ambulance entrance. "Sit tight." Ward jumped out, approaching an EMT that handed him a small handheld oxygen tank. Continuing down the road, he made the car come to a screeching halt, jumping out and bursting through the door.

Donnie touched a few fingertips to the webbing on Thalia's face, freezing it until it became brittle. When it cracked off, he pressed the mask to her face, squeezing the balloon on the end and filling her lungs with air. Sputtering on the air forced into her, she began coughing, reaching up to her face and pulling away the frozen webbing, her eyes opening and exposing the bloodshot whites of her eyes. Jumping to her feet, she had an absolutely murderous look on her face, her dark eyes narrowed into slits. Immediately, she lunged for the teenage boy some ways away, the two beginning to fight viciously; Donnie cringed at the series of loud, wet _pops_ followed by one of Thalia's soft whimpers. When he stood to go to her aid, Ava held him back.

"I wouldn't do that," she cautioned. "Just wait for it."

"Why?"

Ava snorted. "Anna Crawford can kick his ass any day of the week, that's why."

Seconds later, Peter flew out of the shadows and hit the floor hard, rolling a few times as Thalia emerged from the dark, twisting her fingers back into their sockets. "Hmm, dislocating fingers. Interesting tactic," Ward noted. "Can't grip anything without immense pain, and it takes the edge off any kind of hit. Why?"

"Because he can't break her fingers," Ava answered him with a roll of her eyes. "As gruesome as it is."

Donnie turned to face Ava. "He _breaks_ people's fingers?"

"Only if they are pointing guns at him." She laughed. "Or if their name is Anna Crawford. She outscienced him once and ever since he's had it out for her." Turning back to the scene, Thalia held his arm, twisting it behind him and pinning him to the ground. Peter let out a huff of air. "See?"

"You lay another finger on me and I'll break each one. Are we clear?"

Peter nodded painfully. Releasing his arm, she walked away from him, walking towards Donnie. He took her hands, holding her hand carefully as her fingers healed. "Good morning," he laughed humorlessly.

"Good morning," she replied sincerely. "Come on. I need a shower."

"You're..?"

"You really think that getting kidnapped by a teenager is going to stop me today?" Just then the strap of her tank top fell in half, exposing her shoulder. Ward took off his jacket, draping the leather garment over her shoulders. Taking the ruined strap, she knotted it back together. "That might. Damn it, I liked this one!"

~*~

"I think that she liked the idea," Thalia smiled, entering the hotel room. Donnie shook his head, smiling softly and shutting the door behind him. "And thanks to you, the serum is now safely locked in the Stark vault."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did," she insisted. "You made acquaintances with Pepper freaking Potts! And she liked you enough to hear me out."

"She would've anyways," Donnie mumbled. "You are plenty charismatic on your own."

"But I didn't give her the impression that I treat everything and one I care about with extreme love and affection." Thalia took his face gently between her hands. "Give yourself some credit."

He sighed softly, rolling his eyes. "Fine. I give myself credit."

"As forced as that sounds, I'm going to take it as a win." She took her hair down out of its elaborate style, running her hairbrush through it. "Now we leave for home at three in the afternoon tomorrow, so let's just clean our stuff up now so it takes less time to get everything together."

"And at the same time, we can be absolutely no fun."

Thalia turned around, her mouth falling open. "What?" she claimed incredulously. "I am fun!"

"There are about a million things we could be doing right now, like going out to Central Park, yet here we are, planning on packing already when the plane doesn't even leave until tomorrow--" Donnie stopped talking when she had a smirk on her face. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"You may be a genius after all," she praised him sarcastically. "Why do you think I was changing?"

"Oh, we were?" Donnie's mouth fell open. "Crap, I ruined a surprise, didn't I?"

"No, lune de ma vie, you didn't." She shimmied out of her skirt, changing to a pair of jeans and boots. "Come on, it's only a short walk away. I heard the weather is supposed to be phenomenal."

His gaping mouth turned into a smile as he tugged on his coat, following her out of the hotel and taking her hand. A strong gust of cold wind hit them and he laughed. "Supposed to be phenomenal weather, huh?" Looking up at the gray sky, he watched in a bemused expression as snow suddenly began falling, snowflakes entangling themselves in Thalia's hair. "Don't tell me you did this."

"I could have," she smiled secretively. Looking down at her hands, he noticed the electricity flickering between her fingers.

"Thalia, this is serious," he cautioned her, still in awe. "And _big_. Is this covering all of New York?"

"Not sure," she shrugged. "Come on, quit putting so much thought into it and appreciate that your goddess of a fiancée just made it snow for you."

Pressing a hand to her ribs, she wheezed softly and continued walking to the park. "Thalia, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm okay," she smiled.

"Thalia, you're sweating out here and it's below forty."

"I'm bundled up, lune de ma vie," she laughed, inhaling the crisp, cold air and wheezing again.

"Come on, you're not sounding too good," Donnie began leading her back to the hotel. "Let's get Ward's guy to see you."

"It's fine, I'm okay," she tried to laugh again, except she gripped her side, wheezing heavily.

"No, come on," he tugged her back into the lobby. Pulling her back to their room, Ward looked up from his conversation with the paramedic, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

"She's wheezing and sweating even though it's near freezing outside, and she keeps holding her side." Donnie sat her down in a chair, taking her coat off for the paramedic to examine her. When he did, he made her lay down on the bed, taking her shirt off. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not getting any prominent breathing sounds from her left side," the paramedic replied. After pressing his stethoscope to her chest, he began swabbing between her ribs, taking out a syringe and ripping the packaging open. "Stay still, this is gonna hurt." He then stabbed the needle between her ribs, holding her down when her back arched off the bed to pull out the plunger. When the soft _pop_ of air was heard, Thalia gasped, beginning to breath better. He stood, cleaning up the trash. "Just what I thought."

"What?"

"Her lung collapsed." He turned to Ward. "I think that kid she got in a fight with earlier caused an injury to her chest that caused her lung to collapse from the inside." He brought out a short piece of tubing, taking out the needle and placing the tubing in its place. He then taped it down, prepping a bandage and taping it over the area. "Is going to the hospital an option for this?"

Both Donnie and Ward answered, "No."

"Then I've done all I can do," he answered. "But I would recommend taking her to see a doctor. I don't have any equipment that can tell me where her lung collapsed, so I've done everything in my power. I would recommend that she sees a doctor within the next week."

Thalia panted softly, keeping her hand pressed to the bandaged area as she tried to sit up. "Don't move around so much," Ward said softly. "Just lay down and try to get some sleep."

~G.A.M.E.~

When a soft knock interrupted his sleeping, Donnie cracked an eye, seeing a silhouetted figure at the balcony door. "Who is it?"

"Peter," Thalia sleepily mumbled. "Please don't tell me you're actually going to talk to him."

"Go to sleep, Lia," Donnie laughed. "You're more tired than I am."

Mumbling into her pillow, she eventually went back to sleep. Sliding out of bed, Donnie opened the door, exposing a slim, beat up teenager shivering on the snow dusted balcony. "What do you want?"

"To apologize?" Peter shivered profusely. "Can I come in?"

"No." Donnie stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "We can talk out here."

"Out here it's twenty-five degrees!" Peter hissed, drawing his jacket closer around him, suddenly stilling and looking at Donnie's figure, leaning against the wall in nothing but pajama pants. "And you aren't freezing. Why?"

"Why is it your business?" Donnie narrowed his eyes. "You know, just on the count that you nearly suffocated my fiancée, I could beat the living hell out of you. What gives you the right to beat up a girl _you_ kidnapped?"

"She attacked me!"

"That's no excuse! Your webbing was suffocating her!" Donnie shook his head. "Not the point. Why did you do it?"

"I wanted answers. Like how the hell did she manage to walk away when none of us could?"

"And you think that _she_ can answer that? Even though the only memories she has of you was when she was trying not to bleed out on the Manhattan Bridge, _she_ can tell you _all_ about how she got out." Donnie gave Peter a flat stare. "Please. Don't play stupid with me. We're both smart enough to know how that ends. Now, answer the question."

"Why can't I talk to her?"

"What part of 'she's tired' don't you get? She is in pain. Did you not hear about how she was shot _twice in the stomach_ and almost died? The stitches in her intestines only came out a few weeks ago, and she's just now getting back onto solid foods." Pushing off the wall, Peter didn't have enough time to react when Donnie pressed his fingers into his neck. "Now, you have three seconds to answer the question."

"Or what?"

"One." Donnie pursed his lips. "Two."

Peter began stammering. "Fine! Fine. I wanted to see how she was doing. I called Sam when her and her dad were in New York, wondering if he could figure out how she was."

"Why?"

"Since when did you become my aunt?" Peter squirmed out of Donnie's grip. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to be let down and to not die."

The doorknob turned, and the door opened, with Thalia poking her head out of the room. "Still out here?" She stepped out, holding onto the doorknob. "Les deux de vous pénétrer à l'intérieur avant qu'il obtient des engelures."

Donnie turned to her, a plaintive look on his face. "Mais Thalia, ce qu'il a fait pour vous -"

"Il a de la chance je ne vais pas trouver sa tante et lui dire ce qu'il faisait. Il n'est pas un doute dans mon esprit qu'elle va battu beaucoup plus grave qu'il a fait pour moi." Smiling, she added, "Doigts disloqués serait préférés lorsqu'il ne sera pas capable de s'asseoir."

"What's that little exchange for? Why was she smiling?" Peter paled considerably. "Oh God, she's gonna do something awful to me, isn't she?"

Thalia turned to Peter. "Come inside."

Entering the dim room cautiously, Peter sat down on the couch while Thalia reached for her silky robe, tying the sash gently around her waist. She sat down in Donnie's lap, leaning into him and closing her eyes. "She doesn't look too good."

"Well, I wouldn't suppose you would either when you're loopy on pain meds," Donnie pulled the neckline of her shirt aside, showing the edge of the bandage. "When the Manhattan Bridge accident happened, the injuries caused didn't happen to cause sucking chest wounds, did they?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Ward had one of his guys treat her; he was an EMT. The guy said after the first pneumothorax the second one can happen a year or two after the first."

"Well how convenient for you," Peter snidely replied. "Must be useful having Hydra available at your beck and call."

"Her beck and call, thank you. I try to have nothing to do with them."

"Yet you used to work for them," Peter blew into his hands. "I saw the gunshot scars." Rubbing his hands together, Peter asked, "So how gifted are you? Like from gifted to Gifted?"

"What?"

"Sam said you were gifted. However, he wasn't specific in the details, so please, regale me." Peter sat back. "Where do you fall?"

"Why do I need to tell you?"

"It's me being concerned on the well-being of my frenemy, who was, and is, quite literally sleeping with the enemy. Now, spill."

Instead, he stood, carrying Thalia to bed, removing her robe and draping it on the frame. "You need to leave."

"And we come full circle to what happened this morning. Except you're in Thalia's place."

"And you're gonna do what?" Donnie chuckled darkly. "Try to break my fingers, collapse my lung, too?"

"Only if you provoke me," Peter answered, using just as much venom in his voice. Ward entered the room.

Donnie moved out of the way, and the paramedic from earlier entered the room, carrying a case towards the bed. Seeing Peter, he crossed his arms. "So this the guy that made her lung collapse?" Ward gave him a cold stare. "Leave. Before you find yourself with a half inch hole between your eyebrows."

Stalking out of the room, Peter left. "Thalia?" The paramedic called her softly. Ward looked to the duo.

"How is she?"

"You won't be able to leave tomorrow, I can tell you that much." The paramedic began packing up his things. "The change in barometric pressure would make her lung collapse again. Unless you want to bring oxygen on the flight."

"That's not going to happen. It would take weeks to get that set up. I need to call Ian, let him know were going to be a bit held up."

"Anything else, sir?"

"No, you can leave." Ward excused the EMT. He turned to Donnie, who gently laid under her.

"She's so frail," he breathed. "All this time she's been so tough for everybody and now I feel like she could just disappear."

"I'm not dead, you dork."

"You're barely breathing."

"Oh, let me just jam a bore needle between your ribs and see how you feel."

"You know, I was doing some thinking earlier," Donnie changed the subject, "I finally figured out what the nickname Duckie meant."

"I know what the nickname meant, and I wasn't even there when she gave it to you." Ward laughed. "You're a bit slow on the uptake."

"That's rude! My IQ is higher than his is!"

Thalia laughed softly."Yet he's more broadly intelligent than engineering intelligent."

"Go back to sleep," Donnie tried bringing the blanket over her head. "You're hurt, remember?"

"Don't even try that."

~*~  
"Peter is dead."

"What did he do now?"

"I'm stuck in New York because I _have a collapsed lung_!"

"He did what?"

"Yeah, the bastard hit me in the chest hard enough to tear the scar tissue in my left lung and make my lung collapse!" Thalia flipped the camera and pulled back her shirt, exposing the bandage. "And thanks to the fact that dropping barometric pressure can cause my lung to collapse _again_ , I'm stuck here until it heals up!"

"Why hasn't it healed yet?" Coulson studied the feed. "Surely your Asgardian physiology would've caused it to heal by now."

"The hell if I know!"

"How is it you don't know how _your own body works_?"

"Well geez, Coulson, let me think," Thalia snapped sarcastically. "With my primary focus of my education being on the study of biological weapons and their effects on _the human body_ , it'd be kinda hard to study my own physiology when I'm literally the only person on planet earth that's been graced with such a bodily system, don't you think?"

Donnie wrestled the phone camera away from Thalia. "Pardon her sour attitude. She managed to get a hold of Peter's home phone, having a lengthy conversation with his aunt, who was reasonably shocked and upset that her nephew was capable of such 'wanton violence'."

"I'll call him." Coulson sighed. "As for your current situation, I'll call your airline and let them know. You still need to be back in California tonight. Ian got a hold of me and told me he's on his way back."

"Why does he care?" Thalia asked bitterly. "He missed his birthday. He should have to deal with how _fun_ it is when people bail on you."

"Your primary doctor is also back in Malibu. So maybe Carroll can find out what the problem is."

Thalia looked deep in thought. "All right. And to be fair, I did miss out on over a decade of birthdays with my dad. Goodbye, Coulson."

When they hung up the phone, he picked his back up, needing to get this small task done.

~G.A.M.E.~

Ian paced the kitchen, watching the time pass. _They'll be here any minute_...

Sam knocked on the back door. He speed-walked to the door, opening it and letting him in. "Hey, Mister Quinn," he greeted him, sitting down. "When will they be here?"

"Shortly. The plane landed just a half hour ago."

"If I may ask sir, why are you so anxious?"

"Thalia was upset that I was called to Malta before my birthday. And both of us missed my birthday, so we came to a mutual agreement that we'd celebrate it tonight."

"Dad?" Thalia entered the room. "Hey."

He immediately rounded the corner and wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tightly. "Dad!" She wheezed softly, and she gestured to a spot on her shoulder, a place that she showed only him. He eased his grip on her, and she nodded. "So, do you want to see your cake? It's small, but it's sweet." She opened the microwave, taking out a small, circular cake. Simply decorated, it read in Thalia's lilting script "Happy Birthday, Dad," in delicate icing.

"Thalia, you did a wonderful job."

She smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Leading her away from Sam, he asked, "Thalia, what is it?"

"We had some complications up in New York." She gently pulled the neckline of her shirt back, showing the edge of the bandage. Ian's eyes widened.

"Should I call Carroll?"

"No," Thalia answered quietly. "I'll be fine."

"Well, in the meantime, you need to lay down."

She smiled. "Donnie made me sleep on the plane. I'm fine."

"Where is he?"

"The lab. Edward called him and said something blew up down there. He was strapping into a gas mask last I saw him."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"Yes, I'm kidding. But something did blow up down in the lab and cause a huge mess." Peering around Ian, she saw Sam sitting at the table, playing on his phone. "Hey Buckethead."

He looked up from his phone. "Hey you!" Jumping up, he easily wrapped his arms around her. "Heard about what happened in New York. Ava told me you beat the hell out of Peter."

"I said to him if he laid another finger on me, I'd break each one."

"Broken body parts seem to put his hotheaded view into perspective." Sam sighed softly, releasing her. "So, cake?"

"Yes!" She took out a knife, cutting each of them a slice. Handing Ian and Sam slices, she ate dainty bites of her cake, finishing it quickly and cleaning her mess. "So I need a shower, so you can hang around for a bit if you want to."

Dragging her suitcase to her room, she began unpacking it while gathering her shower necessities. "What else happened in New York?"

Jumping, a decorative jewelry stand flew at the intruder. Immediately recognizing the person's brain activity, Thalia spun around, catching the item before it hit Sam. "I'm so sorry!" she placed the stand back on her dresser. "I got spooked." Turning back to her bed, she looked down at her shirt, beginning to mumble to herself. "I mean, I don't know what's wrong with me and why I'm so jumpy lately-- I need to give this shirt back to Donnie, he loaned this out to me because I couldn't put on my other shirt." She pulled the shirt off, tossing it to the bed. "Maybe I should go check on him," she mumbled softly, sticking her thumbnail in her mouth. She turned around, looking up and seeing Sam still standing there. "I thought you left already."

"What happened to you?"

She blinked again, returning to reality. "Hm? What?"

"Why is there a bandage on your shoulder?"

"I had a bit of an accident back up in New York. It's nothing serious."

He approached her, and she temporarily seized up, remaining motionless as his fingertips grazed her shoulder. "Is that something you did intentionally?"

"My straps? Yeah, I did that. The EMT to not put pressure on the wound and all my bras have convertible straps, so..."

"That isn't what I meant." Taking the edge of the bandage under his fingertip, he peeled back the adhesive and set his jaw at the sight underneath. "I know enough medical knowledge to know what that is." Thalia stepped back, fixing the adhesive. "That's what Peter did? Collapsed your lung?"

"I had the first one on the Manhattan Bridge way back when, I was pretty overdue for one anyways."

"That arrogant son of a bitch," Sam spat, pulling his hoodie over his head. The hoodie, which held his helmet, fell away as his clothes morphed into his Nova suit. "I'll collapse one of his lungs, see how he feels."

"Sam, don't!" She locked the back door. "Samuel Alexander, put your feet back on the ground right now!"

Reluctantly, he floated back down to the floor and put his helmet back in his hoodie, making his suit fade away. "But what he did--"

"I already told his aunt. She was none too pleased." Thalia crossed her arms over her chest. "Sam, I'll be fine."

"How is it you say you're fine yet you're the one with a collapsed lung and all he has is a few cuts and scrapes?"

She shrugged. "Some weird form of Aikido, probably. And it's not collapsed. I just have to take the stuff out and it should heal up fine." Taking off the bandage, she carefully pulled out the tubing, watching the small hole in her chest close. "See? All gone."

"God, you are so non confrontational."

"I try to be. I live around so many volatile teenage Gifteds it's something I need to do to survive."

"You are also Gifted, you know."

"Literally the only reason I'm Gifted is because I'm half-Asgardian, which Coulson claimed, 'is a bitch to kill.'"

"Thalia."

"What?"

"You're being a bit of a brat."

"I am not!" She laughed. "Coming from the guy who entered my room without permission or at least telling me you're there. That'd be grounds for spending a few hours as an ice sculpture."

Sam frowned. "You can do that?"

"Everything Donnie can do except actually forming ice on contact. And then a few more things. Which you've been witness to."

Sam dug his phone out of his pocket, reading the screen. "Sorry. Gotta go. My mom needs me." Pulling his hoodie back over his head, he unlocked the door. "See you later?"

"Yeah." She hugged him, nudging him out the door. Shutting the doors, she picked up her laundry basket, gathering her things and heading to the laundry room. Opening the door, she set her basket down on a counter, beginning to check her pockets. Humming softly, she added things to the washer, closing the door when she felt arms circle her waist. "So how bad was it?" She reached behind her and petted his hair. "Nobody got hurt, right?" When he didn't answer, she turned her head. "What's wrong?"

"Just not talking."

"Are you okay?"

He shook his head. Turning around, she ran her thumbs over his cheekbones. "What's wrong?"

"Just really thankful right now," he whispered. "Just really thankful that you're alive and okay and here," he admitted in a rush of air, hugging her tighter.

"Okay," she spoke softly. Unsure of what to do next, she breathed in deeply. When he slid her along the smooth surface of the washing machine, she noticed how they moved out of the line of the door. "Donnie, what is it?"

"I realized that people need to get over the fact that we're engaged to each other and are allowed to express our affection for each other wherever in this house we may be."

She cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy. "You lost me."

Pulling her in, he kissed her. At first, she responded eagerly, matching him move for move, until she realized their location and broke the kiss, acting shyly even in the emptiness of the room. "See? We are engaged yet you're withdrawn to showing affection in places other than private."

"So are you," she retorted.

"And I'm getting pretty fed up with it. My crippling anxiety and fear of social confrontation isn't going to stop our relationship."

She stifled a laugh. "That's adorable. You're willing to try and conquer your antisocial behaviors and timid stature in order to better embrace our love for each other."

"Love makes people do funny things," he suggested vaguely. Abruptly, the washer dinged, signaling the end of the cycle. Turning the corner, Thalia put her clothes into the dryer, starting another cycle. "So since you have your laundry taken care of, how about we pass the time?"

"Don't push your luck."

~*~  
"Niece!" Amora approached Thalia and Donnie as they laid in the freshly fallen snow. "What fair weather it is."

"Ha ha, Aunt Amora." Thalia lobbed a snowball at Donnie, hitting him in the cheek. Dodging the one that sailed over her head she asked, "Want to join our snowball fight?"

"I am not familiar with the term." Amora picked up the snow, forming a misshapen ball of ice and throwing it in the air. "Is it much like the spell fights I engaged in on Asgard?"

"Where in place of magic, it's snow," Thalia beamed. "So what's up?"

"I fear I haven't been honest with you," Amora sat down, melting the snow around her. "My ritual was one of protection, but not of protection _exactly_."

Thalia raised an eyebrow, a small flurry swirling into existence over her head. "Aunt Amora..."

"The ritual, in its original form, was yes a marriage ritual, but--"

"See? I knew it!" Thalia tackled Donnie to the ground. "I told you it seemed a little too weird but _you_ didn't listen!"

"Let me finish, Thalia," Amora prodded gently. "But since I knew that you two had decided that you weren't ready, it was a kind of halfway spell of sorts."

"Like?"

"It was a pronunciation of your engagement, so that it would be recognized among others that are not of this world." Amora beamed. "It would be much like putting an engagement announcement in a newspaper. People would read it and know. Much the same applies here."

"Ha!" Donnie wrestled Thalia onto the snow. "I told you that you were just being paranoid, but _you_ didn't listen!" As they playfully fought, Amora smiled.

"Shouldn't you two come in?" Amora looked surprised as she shivered at the cold. "I am actually getting a chill from your weather, niece of mine."

"I'm not bothered by it." Donnie looked down at his casual clothing compared to Thalia's cold weather regalia. "She has an extremely high tolerance to it, but I'm making sure she doesn't get sick."

"Yes, three months after nearly dying and you're still being so cautious and careful around me." Thalia placed a mittened hand on his cheek. "Lune de ma vie, I'm not made of glass."

"I know," he replied quietly, taking her hand and quickly pecking the inside of her palm. "Just a little ice."

She smiled, kissing his cheek. "I guess I better take Aunt Amora's advice. My toes are getting numb." Standing, she brushed the snow off her coat. "Come on, you two."

"She is a persnickety half-breed," Amora muttered to Donnie. "Aren't we lucky that we were graced with her?"

"I may be half-human, but I heard that!" Thalia called from the house. "This persnickety half-human is one of the reasons why her fiancé isn't dead yet!"

"She does have a point there," Donnie replied. "Back in July, we were caught in a particularly hairy situation."

Amora furrowed her eyebrows. "Do tell, nephew."

"We were kidnapped, Mister Quinn, Thalia and I, and were held prisoner by a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, who tortured Ian and Thalia for information on some project that Anna was working on. A project that Thalia had no clue existed."

"Anna was Hydra's given name to her after the fire."

"Yeah, well, she protected me from what the agent was doing by telling nothing but the truth."

"An honorable deed, no doubt."

"Which ended up with her honesty being mocked by Mister Quinn undoing it all by lying through his teeth the entire time. And that resulted in the agent carving Thalia like a Thanksgiving turkey, as punishment to him for not being truthful. Cut her hands, her face, her ribs, and eventually got so fed up with Mister Quinn lying that he stabbed her in the thigh."

"All of this was do to Ian's deceitfulness?"

"Pretty much."

"That man," Amora growled. "I'm going to have a long and drawn out discussion with him."

~G.A.M.E.~

"She is your blood!" Thalia heard Amora thunder. "You should be truthful when it comes to her!"

"It's not that easy, Amora! There are good reasons why I couldn't tell the truth!"

She winced, reaching down into the bathwater to rub her cold toes. "So your daughter's safety comes second to your secrets, Ian?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"But that's what you said," Amora's voice dropped to a lower octave. When the conversation faded, she sighed, leaning forward and staring at her reflection in the water.

"God, it makes me feel bad." Thalia leaned back, touching her head to the wall. "Hearing them argue about me."

"Thalia, she's simply acting maternally. That isn't your fault. She's been a lot more of a mother figure than your actual mother has." Donnie took her hand. "And she was concerned."

"About me."

"Now _you're_ being sulky," Donnie laughed, pressing the back of her hand to his lips. "Your dad isn't going to yell at you, you know. He'll probably yell at me. After all, I'm the one that told your aunt anyways."

"He's not going to yell at you either. I won't let him."

"And you're still protecting me," he murmured in her ear, dipping down and nipping her earlobe. She giggled softly, the sound echoing off the tile. "Thalia, I can handle myself."

"I thought that was my job," she laughed, draining the water and reaching for her towel. "What have we become?"

"We've changed," he helped her out of the tub. "Evolved."

"Oh, have we?" She tucked the end of the towel into itself. "What have we become, then?"

"Better. Definitely better." He tilted her chin up and placed a loving kiss to her puckered lips when Amora barged into the room.

"Gods, he is of a thicker skull than bilgesnipe scales," she exclaimed exasperatedly, startling Thalia and causing Donnie to hide her behind himself. Amora looked up. "Oh. I was led to believe that Thalia was in here."

"Hi," Thalia waved timidly, and Amora gave the two of them a once over, her face lighting up in a warm, dazzling smile.

"I see. It seems a talent of mine would be to intrude when your beloved wishes to initiate intimate moments with his betrothed. I deeply apologize."

"You're making things quite awkward."

"And I realize this, nephew," she smiled brighter. "I only wished to bestow my gift to Thalia in spite of missing her birthday. I found that you enjoyed it many times before. I left it on your bed."

When she left the room, he entered the bedroom, inspecting the blankets while Thalia quickly changed into her clothes. "What is it she left?"

"I see it," Thalia approached the foot of the bed, picking up the dazzling white fur blanket on the bed. "It's an animal skin blanket. It's from an Aesir."

"What's that?"

"It's the title for a white wolf back in Asgard. They're quite rare to catch." Thalia draped the fur over her, putting the head over her own like a hoodie. "Snow wolves basically. One would normally find one in the frozen tundra of Jotunheim because the seasons rarely ever change."

"So she got you a large wolf blanket? That's nice."

"Their thick fur kept them warm in the extreme cold," she wrapped her arms around herself. "Seems a bit fitting, don't you think?"

"You're funny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I adore comments and feedback! For Tiff, I give the title of the next chapter: In Flagranti Delicto


	31. In Flagranti Delicto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first began writing this chapter, the name was originally derived from Jessica Jones' "AKA 99 Friends", but as time and the chapter progressed, the meaning changed to really just capture the subplots of the story while tying into events current. And as intelligent and somewhat sophisticated Donnie and Thalia are, they are still teenagers.

"Your birthday's only six days away now. Have you thought much about it yet?"

"I am a functioning engineer that has projects to work on instead of birthday parties to worry about. I can't let that stuff get to me when I busy welding or trying to find out what happened to that motherboard in the manufacturing arm at the factory."

"An electrical short out is what happened to it, end of story."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. Something was set in next to the processor socket and when it was activated, it slowly began burning away the circuit board."

"Well, it'd make sense. As soon as the processor socket is gone, the entire thing would've gone on the fritz." Donnie made a satisfied noise in his throat. "You're a genius."

"I've been told that a few times," Thalia laughed. He watched as they then kissed, Thalia's smiles dazzling in the morning light. "Your breath is awful."

Donnie laughed. "Hmph. No better than your coffee breath."

He kissed her jaw when Ian finally stepped into the room. "Good morning you two."

"Morning!" Thalia turned around, sitting on Donnie's legs with his arms around her. "What's up?"

"Christmas party tonight. Mandatory for the both of you, black tie formal."

"Ugh, knew that was coming." Donnie pressed his face into Thalia's back. "I can't make it. I'll be sick tonight."

"Be good," Thalia chided him. Looking back at Ian, she said, "We'll be there."

He nodded, turning his back to leave when the two kissed again. Thalia laughed, jumping out of bed to follow him out to the kitchen. She picked a few muffins out of the pantry, along with some fruit. When she took her iron pill, she added a carton of chocolate milk to her arms. "Thalia, sweetheart, you're going to drop that stuff."

"Not if I can help it," she grunted softly, setting her things down on the counter, reassembling her pile and carrying it back to her room. Ian followed her into her room, sitting down with her breakfast and passing a muffin and some fruit to Donnie. "You want something to eat?"

"I ate earlier."

"Dad..." She gave him an orange. "Eat."

Peeling the skin, he ate it as Thalia and Donnie ate in silence. "So are you two coming together or not?"

"I want to find a nice dress. So no, I'll probably be there at a later time." She looked to Donnie. "And you?"

"No doubt he'll make me get fitted for a new one, so I guess I'll be with him."

"Then I better get started on my day," Thalia beamed, catching Donnie for a quick kiss before leaving the room. "See you tonight."

"She's just a whirlwind of activity, isn't she?" Donnie asked, taking a bite into his chocolate chip muffin. "Always up and moving. You'd think she'd tire already, but no."

"I have no clue. It's not me she gets that from."

"Many things she does is something that's not from you," Donnie replied snidely. "I'm wondering whether the qualities she possesses are more Asgardian than human. Amora is usually up at four in the morning, performing magic in the backyard. Thalia is up three and a half hours later, waking me up for work." He popped a small strawberry into his mouth. "And her abilities and magic are so integrated into her life much like Amora does, using her abilities as extra hands." Standing, he cleaned up the mess. "Well, I need a shower."

Ian turned on the flat screen, watching the news while the shower ran.

"Since her resurfacing in April, the topic of Thalia Quinn has garnered attention across multiple platforms, from political debate to the scientists at Mensa, all wondering the same thing. How did a dead girl cheat death, multiple times, throughout her life?"

"It seems an interesting topic of debate, Eric." A news reporter tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Police reports have since been demanded to be unveiled, with people poking holes in the shoddy story that led to her supposed death. According to the reports, 'After being sent immediately to the hospital for her sustained injuries, it never arrived at the hospital, having crashed into a ditch and supposedly killing everyone inside even due to lack of bodies.' I'm not finished yet Eric, but already, it seems suspicious. Claiming three people dead with no body of proof to back their claims?"

"Later, the police department claimed that those documents were forged, and the people responsible, led to be the paramedics that treated her and a handful of other unidentified people, were never found."

"Back to the reports, Thalia Quinn later resurfaced as a name on a list of dumped S.H.I.E.L.D. documents that were leaked to the internet after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. And even though the file was on the internet, it was wrapped in heavy encryption. The Rising Tide, a rising hacktivist group, was as of late March able to crack the tough shell of encryption around her file. After viewing what was there, some viewers may be advised that what is seen is very graphic."

Ian furrowed his brow as a news clip was shown. Obviously being recorded on someone's phone, the hand holding the phone was shaky, shying away from the action as a man charged at a costumed girl with a spear. Another girl entered the frame, whom Ian instantly recognized as Thalia, hiding behind a car as an inhuman shriek pierced the air. "I got it!" she shouted to someone out of sight, gracefully flipping to the other side and raising her arm to hit a writhing black mass with something similar with a cattle prod when the black mass shrieked again, forming four sharp spikes and stabbing them through her chest.

Ian gasped softly as Thalia did on-screen, blood spilling over her bottom lip as fifth spike began pushing between her ribs, angled at her heart. Pressing against her suit, the spike then disappeared, being absorbed into her as she collapsed onto the slick pavement, screaming weakly. Tears began streaming down her face, and the holder of the phone came to her side. The camera panned down to her wounds, which all but spurted blood from the holes in her chest. She suddenly went still, and the person began yelling frantically for help. The frame then froze, focusing on the dull look in her eyes.

"The footage was cut off at this point, likely due to the extremely graphic images that are shown." Eric clenched his jaw. "This was one of several damning pieces of evidence that was included in this file, along with the evidence that the organization that took down S.H.I.E.L.D., known as Hydra, was the group that orchestrated the fire and her abduction in the form of much needed medical treatment. Since then, the US government has taken the file, analyzing it and following through on the evidence left in the file to help piece together the horrors of what happened to Thalia Q--"

The screen went dark, and Ian turned, seeing Donnie's face set in an equally stony expression. "There's no use watching the news. All they do is make it worse than it is."

"That was a video of my daughter getting impaled and bleeding out on the pavement of the Manhattan Bridge, that's not any worse than it already is."

"They're saying that there's a whole _file_ out there describing all the dark and disturbing things that both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra did to her. While I don't doubt there is, I'm not going to turn on the news and have to console my fiancée over the truly horrific things people have done to her in the name of science or whatever they call that. I'm not. I refuse to turn on the news, won't let her watch any normal t.v. What if she saw any of that and suddenly became suicidal because she couldn't live knowing they did awful things to her that she doesn't know about?" Donnie put the remote down. "I'm not going to listen to news anchors rehashing things like that over and over until Thalia gets nauseous even _hearing_ her name on the news. I won't. But the truly horrific part of it is that they're hashing out the stuff that they _know_ about. Do you really think S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra would really keep all the dark and depraved things that they did to her _in_ her file?" Roughing his hair with his towel, he pulled on clothes. "Now let's do something that doesn't involve the news."  
~*~  
Shutting off the news feed, Daisy looked at Coulson. "We're gonna let them do that? Showcase all the god awful things that people have done?"

"We can't pull the file from the internet. Talbot likely did it, and he must have shared it with the public in order to garner sympathy for her. She's been through hell; Talbot likely wants to capitalize on that to vilify us yet again."

"But can't we come to some sort of compromise so that he doesn't do this? What if Thalia sees that stuff? Donnie can't protect her from everything."

"From what we've been witnessing, he's done his hardest. He rewired the cable lines away from the living room and her bedroom."

"Can't we shut the news down altogether?"

"We are gonna have to let it blow over. Nothing we do will help the situation."

"Not so, son of Coul," Amora entered the room. "Can you not simply erase it from existence?"

"The government has a hard copy."

"Which is now mine," Amora held her hand out, setting an old phone ablaze. It crackled and burned away. "And any other copies your Inhuman here can find and destroy." Dropping the charred phone into the trash, she said, "My nephew-in-law wishes to protect his beloved from the hands of the media, and I wish to assist."

"Nephew-in-law?"

"Donald and Thalia are engaged to be wed, are they not? I was under the impression that until they dissolve their engagement, I am free to call him nephew as I please." Turning around, she left the room. "I will be in touch."  
~G.A.M.E.~

Passing Thalia's room for the fourth time, Ian broke away from the pack of professionals that were cleaning up their messes and peered inside. "Four for four, give me the word for wonderful."

"Why?"

"Because you've done a wonderful job of keeping up. Now, speak."

Donnie paused. "Um... This is a tough one, give me a minute. Something with an 'M' at the beginning?"

Thalia nodded enthusiastically. "Go on."

"Mermei, mervei-- Ah! Merveilleux."

"Good. Now use it in a sentence."

"Thalia..."

"Fine. Just repeat after me." After she spoke a fluid phrase of French, Donnie repeated it somewhat shakily. However, Thalia was still pleased, congratulating him. Then suddenly she said, "What was that weird dessert you gave me earlier? My tongue's tingling, was there mint in it?"

"Mini apple pie. One of the caterers brought them to the party earlier."

"Shit," Ian swore, storming into the room. "Thalia, go throw up right now."

"Dad, what's--"

"Now!"

Thalia stood, running to the bathroom. Donnie looked at Ian. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Her complaining about a tingling tongue means it's about to start swelling, so do me a damn favor and find an adrenaline pen so I can at least buy some time!" Ian stuck his head out the door. "Ward! Call 911!"

"Dad, I can't..." Thalia stumbled out of the bathroom, her hand pressed to her throat and her breaths coming out in short gasps. "I can't--"

"Hey, just keep quiet," he said quickly, feeling her jaw beginning to swell. Looking up, Donnie quickly approached them with his EpiPen, stabbing her thigh with the needle and pressing down on the plunger.

"They're on their way," Ward answered, looking upon the three of them. "What happened?"

"I just gave her this dessert that the caterers had brought, some kind of apple pie that one of them made."

"I gave them an allergy list and told them to make things that didn't include anything on that list."

"Ian, I caught this man hiding in my quarters," Amora held a man by his neck. "He is the man that made the desserts."

"What made her start having an allergic reaction to an apple pie?"

"Apple seeds are poisonous to human beings when eaten in large quantities, but her fragile, half-Asgardian system isn't used to it. Even coming into contact is enough to send her into shock."

"You're telling me that my fiancée is allergic to _apples_?"

"Now you know why she loves Snow White so much," Ian answered. "Thalia, can you breathe?"

She wheezed harshly. "Better than," wheeze, "I could," wheeze, "with a," wheeze, "collapsed lung."

"You still need hospitalization, niece. I will dispose of this human being." Amora walked out the back doors to the rocky ledge, pulling her arm back and throwing the man into the water. Coming back inside, she knelt down to her side. "Nephew, she needs more of whatever you gave her. I can feel her throat swelling again."

"Yeah, sure," he stood, retrieving his other EpiPen and sticking her thigh with it. "That's the last of it."

"I'll get you guys some new ones," Ian muttered. "Hold her. I hear the paramedics at the door."

Taking Thalia in his arms, Donnie brushed his lips over the top of her head. _I'm sorry._

_Don't be, my love. Not even_ I _knew about it. And it's me that we're talking about._

_Well I could've at least--_

_Donnie, neither of us knew. Don't blame yourself for the hidden variable. How was either of us supposed to know that I had an allergy to apples when nobody told us?_ She sighed softly. _Donnie, tune back into reality. People are wanting to put me on a stretcher._  
~*~  
"When did you think it'd be appropriate to tell your own daughter of an allergy like that?" Coulson sighed as Ian looked down. "She could've _died. Again._ "

"Well, they're treating her right now. And to be fair, I assumed that the memory of being allergic to apples would've come back by now."

"According to her, she still doesn't remember anything past five or six years old on either end of the spectrum. Neither years of her life which determined that she had an allergy." Coulson sighed again, deeply. "Did you not know that she still hasn't been cleared to be out of your care due to all the huge gaps that are still in her memory? That place she's buying in Canada isn't going to be of any use to her unless you are there to help her."

"Well then I will be."

"You need to commit to it. Donnie has, why do you think she's comfortable around him?"

"Because they're _engaged_."

"Because he's there through all the night terrors, everything that she suffers through he's been there. Try that for a change."

~G.A.M.E.~

"I have a present for you," Thalia smiled. Donnie turned over, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Thalia, no. You've already lavished me with plenty of gifts this Christmas."

"It's not material, my love. Come on." Rolling out of bed, she padded to the door. Opening the front door, she watched Donnie's face light up at the person on the other side.

"Mom?"

"Hi." Lilah stood in the porch, her boots pressed together. "How are you, Donnie?"

"Please, Mrs. Hearthrow, come in," Thalia stood to the side, letting her into the house. "It's a pleasure to have you here."

"You've grown so much," Lilah smiled, running her hand along Donnie's cheek. "You're so tall."

"Taller than I am."

"So I could see!" Lilah laughed as Donnie hugged Thalia. "However, the height difference suits you two well."

Everyone fell into an awkward silence. "I know it must be difficult seeing me after July, Mrs. Hearthrow. In every medical sense, I was dead. Lungs filled with water, heart not beating."

"I know, Thalia. But in the world we live in today, I was rather relieved you made it after that. I haven't seen Donnie happy in a long time. And I have you to thank for that." Lilah shut the door behind her. "I know that there are Gifted people out there, capable of amazing things. Aliens fell out of the sky, superheros saved Sokovia. Gods walked among us. It's truly a humbling thing."

"That we shared the same air with them?"

"That we continue to do so," Lilah gave Thalia an all knowing look. "You are quite the Gifted individual, Thalia."

Donnie leaned in next to Thalia's ear. "Did she mean that with a capital 'G'?"

Lilah laughed."Yes, Donnie, I meant that with a capital 'G'."

"She knows?"

"I only know that Thalia here is Gifted, I don't want to pry about what she does. That's like asking a woman her age, Donnie."

"Rude?"

Lilah smirked at Thalia. "He's learned a lot."

"That he has," she agreed. "So, let me show you your room?"

"Oh no, that's not necessary. Will drove me here. Albeit he was incredibly confused as to why he was taking me to the private mansion of a billionaire. I call him and he'll come get me when I call again."

"Well then Mrs. Hearthrow, do you want breakfast? Donnie makes mean eggs and bacon, and I was going to make pancakes."

"Sure." She followed the two into the kitchen, where they began making breakfast. "What's that?"

"What?" Donnie looked into the eggs. "Is there something in the food?"

"No. Thalia?"

She approached the bar, holding a bowl of pancake mix close to her chest. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Is that what I think it is?" Thalia held out her hand, and Lilah inspected her ring. When Thalia nodded, Lilah beamed. "Donnie, you didn't."

"Nope. Her dad bought the ring. I had no say in it whatsoever."

"When did you two get engaged?"

"Second of September," Thalia answered. "I had just gotten out of the hospital and came home."

"Right, the accident." Lilah sat back, watching as Donnie shared the stove space with Thalia as she cooked her pancakes. "You two make a great couple."

Donnie pulled his lips up into a halfway smile, listing to the side and catching Thalia in a sideways hug. They made their plates, setting them out and eating together. "Thalia, where's your father at?"

"He was called to an emergency, couldn't be avoided," Thalia grumbled. "On Christmas."

"I'm sorry," Lilah smiled wistfully.

"I've got Donnie, I'll be fine." Thalia smiled. Turning his face towards her, she picked up a piece of bacon, putting it in his mouth. "Besides, we have yet to open our Christmas presents."

Donnie sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, chewing on it embarrassingly. "I saw how many had my name under the tree. I feel embarrassed."

"Why? Because you're the object of someone's affections?"

"No, it makes me uncomfortable."

"Seriously Donnie, get used to the fact that I am going to celebrate your birthday and Christmas and every holiday ever with full steam determination."

"I'm not used to it!"

"Well you're going to get used to it."

"Donnie, I'm horribly, horribly sorry, but I have to go. Apparently juvie decided that today was the perfect day to let out Daniel and Will and I have to go pick him up."

"I'll be okay. Thanks for coming, Mom."

"Don't thank me. It was all your fiancée's idea." She brushed her lips over the top of his head. "Goodbye."

"Thank you for visiting, Mrs. Hearthrow!" When the door shut, Thalia turned in her chair to face him. "I'm sorry she couldn't stay for long."

"I had one of the most normal Christmases in over a decade thanks to you. Don't feel sorry." He pulled her to her feet. "Now, want to go open Christmas presents?"

~*~

"You finally compensated me for stealing my clothes," Donnie laughed. "I can't believe you found all of this."

"Well, I asked the right people, greased the right wheels," Thalia shrugged with a smile on her face. "In the end, everything ran smooth and you now have new band merch from all your favorite bands."

"And I have a gift for you," Donnie lifted up the tree skirt, pulling out a shiny silver and white wrapped box. "Here."

Sliding her finger under the tape, she opened the box and laughed at the contents, taking a bottle of Tease perfume from the box. "You got me my perfume?"

"Well I didn't want to feel anymore embarrassed than I already did, so I asked the first girl in the store where I could find it. And that is the story of how I accidentally met one of the models that walked the fashion show."

"Excuse me? I've been shopping there since May and you're telling me you just walked in there and actually _met_ one of the models? Bull."

"Not bull. I showed her a picture of you for reference and she said that you were gorgeous enough to be an Angel yourself."

"Well then that's cheating. I'm the offspring of an Asgardian that used magic on herself to make herself one of the most beautiful women in the universe. I'm simply the version of that without self-experimentation."

"You want to see?"

"Damn right I want to see. There's no way in hell that you got to meet one of the models." She pulled herself along the hardwood, climbing into his lap and pressing her hands to his face. Thalia removed her hands. "Lucky."

"She's our age, you know."

"Meeting a supermodel. I thought I'd be the one." She stood with a sarcastic smile on her face. "I'll be right back."

She walked into the kitchen. As he began gathering the torn wrapping paper, he heard her shriek. "Donnie!"

Jumping to his feet, he ran to the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

Thalia released the handle of the oven door, floating back down to the floor. "Kill it."

"Kill what?"

"There is a huge as all hell spider under the cabinet and I'm not going over there until it's gone."

"Really? Tough as nails Asgardian and she's scared of spiders," he grumbled. "Who knew."

"I have been tortured, beaten, stabbed, drowned, shot and impaled. A damn insect is not another way I'm going out."

"Spiders are arachnids, Lia. Calm down." He looked at her with a curious look on his face. "Wait a minute, can't you control minds? Why not tell it to go hide somewhere else?"

"Spiders don't think in English, genius! And besides, I already tried that and it just got mad!"

Looking down at the floor, he watched as a black spider crawled out from under the cabinet. "Thalia, it's just a house spider," he stopped when he saw the red on its belly. Touching a fingertip to the floor, he froze the spider, flicking it and shattering it into tiny pieces. "There. Gone."

"Thank you," she sighed into his chest. "And just so you know, just because my blood could destroy black widow venom in about the same time it did to destroy rabies, it doesn't mean I'm not going to stop fearing them. You're still human."

"Behind the fear is feeling," he spoke softly, brushing her hair to the side and kissing her head.

"As everything is."  
~*~  
Snuggling next to her in bed, Donnie wrapped his arms around Thalia, his back to the radiating heat of the fireplace. "I always thought that fireplace was for decoration."

"Never." Thalia lazily set her leg over his waist. "Dad insisted this room because the way the heat would travel around the room. He thought that since I had lost so much blood I would get cold easily. Which is ironic considering I'm engaged to you, but he thought it would be a good idea."

"I really wonder if he knows that I literally _radiate_ cold. My skin is cold, I'm cold, the whole walking snowman package."

"It may take a bit to sink in, but he'll come around eventually." She leaned in, softly pecking him on the lips. "Like I did."

Sliding out of bed, she spun around, her robe fanning out around her in a kaleidoscope of color. "Come on, I made sugar cookies earlier. Want to enjoy some while we watch a movie?"

"But I just got comfortable."

"Donnie, you're not going to stay in bed all day, come on."

When she walked out of the room, he rolled his eyes, following her into the kitchen. She sat at the bar, munching on intricately shaped sugar cookies while reading emails on her phone. "I'm here now."

"Good. Help yourself to a cookie." She tapped something on her phone and began typing on it. Eyeing her phone warily, she caught his stare. "Just answering an email. Afterwards, I'll go get the movie set up."

"Okay." When she set the phone down, she scampered away to the living room, going through different movies. He spared a fleeting glance at the screen, which has gone dark. What had she been doing?

"Donnie! Movie's ready!"

"Coming!"

~G.A.M.E.~  
"Miss Quinn, mind if I have a word?"

Looking up, she saw a man standing at their doorstep, wearing an Air Force service dress uniform. "And who might you be?"

The man offered his hand. "Bridgadier General Glenn Talbot, ma'am." Thalia shook his hand. "I came to speak with you about matters regarding your S.H.I.E.L.D. file."

"Is there an option to say no?"

"Afraid not, ma'am. After coming into possession of the extensive file describing your time in Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., respectively, I wanted to speak with you about some of the contents. Your medical records state that you have no memory of the time spent in S.H.I.E.L.D., so I was under the assumption that I could help you uncover some, if any, of these memories."

"I..." she trailed off. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"The file said that through unknown circumstances, you became Gifted." Talbot shifted on his feet uneasily. "I don't like having to say this, but I could always turn your file over the proper people that are _supposed_ to be viewing and processing your case."

"You're just as bad as Coulson," she sneered. "Thinking that just because you know more about me than I do, that you can do whatever you damn well please in some ill-conceived bargain for information." Standing from the bench, she entered the house. "Please, General, come in."

"I don't want to make my presence here seem dismal, Miss Quinn," Talbot looked at her pitifully. "I truly do want to help."

"So does everyone else." She sat down, her cheerful demeanor gone and replaced with solemn determination. "What is it you want to know?"

"I want to start with some of the basic information you were given upon entering the organization. For example, your given name, Anna Bree Crawford. Any special meaning behind it?"

"None I can derive, except Crawford is my dad's middle name."

"Okay then, what about your birthday?"

"Because to them, it was a huge joke. Being born on April first, you really think that anyone would take that seriously?"

"There are plenty of people born on April first. I had a great aunt who was born on that day."

"Well not in S.H.I.E.L.D. After careful examination of all the records, the only record that has anything being carried out on April 1st is my 'birthday'. You're not one to find that strange? That the only thing happening on the first was my supposed 'birthday'?"

"Fair point, moving on." Talbot scrolled down his tablet screen. "Much of this is redacted, so I'm only going off of what actually is here. Anyways, yes, it's noted through unknown circumstances, after May 19th of 2012, you were suddenly being classified as Gifted. Want to tell me what that's about?"

"Couldn't tell you. The only people that could tell you about that would be Coulson, Nova, and the Hydra agent known as Emily Crawford."

"Crawford died in the Uprising. Who is the Nova?"

"Can't tell you. Comes down to him just not wanting his name spread thinner than almond butter."

"Well what can you remember?"

"Coulson told me I had come into contact with Chitauri artifacts and had contracted some kind of rapidly deteriorating brain disease. Upon contracting it, I died briefly."

Talbot looked down at his tablet, typing a note. "How briefly?"

"Well, the disease overcharged my brain with too much electricity, and I blew like an EMP. Then whatever electricity was left must have been reabsorbed back into my body." Thalia shrugged. "I'm not really well-versed in its symptoms and side effects. All I know is that next to one other person, everyone else died. The other person was administered a cure."

"Let me guess, I cannot have the name of the other person?" Talbot smiled. "Okay, moving on. How about what you did during this time frame?"

"Well, I worked with a subgroup of S.H.I.E.L.D. called the NYVU. Worked with vigilantes on the streets of New York and the surrounding areas. I've come into contact with a few people that were a part of the program, but like I keep saying, I cannot and will not divulge their identities to you. They would just end up as casualties or another example of why that stupid Sokovia Accords thing needs to be pushed through."

Talbot's expression grew dark. "How do you know about that?"

"I know people in the system that have information on the topic. An Act that would force Gifted people to register with the government? Surely you can be assured no other country would actually agree to monitor their citizens like that?"

"You're Gifted as well, Miss Quinn."

She laughed. "I never said I was."

"Moving on," Talbot ground out. "Besides working with the NYVU, what other missions did you engage in while away from this group?"

"Couldn't tell you. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything about where I was deployed. I do know that I was at the Sandbox before the takeover."

"What happened?"

"I met some of the people responsible, and a few of the Gifted people they used in the takeover. I was there when one of them was brainwashed. They called it being Faustused."

"What can you tell me about them?"

"We're going a bit off topic." Thalia narrowed her eyes. "So how about we get back on track?"

"Sorry." He smiled tightly. "I believe we're finished."

"That's it? And that couldn't be warranted with an email?"

"I don't think it's secure enough than being in person. It is rather intimate information after all."

"Well, would you like something to eat?"

"I wouldn't mind," Talbot answered, following her into the kitchen and taking one of her sugar cookies. "These look amazing."

"Well, I don't have much else to do. I had to finish anaphylaxis treatment and I'm not allowed to start work up again for another few days."

"That sounds awful. What happened?"

"I accidentally ingested a dessert that had something I'm allergic to in it." Thalia glanced at the clock. "I'm sorry, but your time is drawing to a close. Do you want me to show you to the door?"

"I know where it is."

When they parted their ways, Donnie surfaced, his cheek splotched with oil. "Hey."

"Hi," she replied exasperatedly. "Sorry if I seem in a bad mood. An Air Force general visited."

He raised an eyebrow, pulling his lunch from the fridge. "About..?"

"My S.H.I.E.L.D. file. He said that a ton of it was redacted and wanted to see if I could help him un-redact any parts that I could."

"Well did you?"

"No. This girl pulled out all the stops and was as evasive as possible. So he knows absolutely nothing."

"Proud of you," he laughed softly, biting into his sandwich. Sighing exasperatedly, Thalia grabbed a wet paper towel, blotting his cheek. "What are you doing?"

"You have oil on your cheek," Thalia answered. "I'm cleaning it off."

He touched his fingertip to his cheek, freezing the oil to his skin. Taking her fingernail, she scraped it off. "Thank you."

"Not a problem." He held out the sandwich, and she bit a dainty corner off. "So, I have good news."

"What is it?"

"I'm finally finished."

She sputtered. "You're serious? Done, like totally done?" He nodded and she squealed happily. "Yes, thank you!" Turning his face towards hers, she kissed him affectionately. "I love you so much."

"Your love for me is determined by the amount of work I do? I'm insulted. It's tantamount to saying that you love me more when I'm not around."

"Okay, you big dork, don't get all melodramatic. Go finish up." She pressed another kiss to his lips. "I love you."

He pressed his lips against hers, then pulled back and cleaned up his lunch. "Love you too."

When he disappeared, Talbot reentered. "I'm sorry to inform you, Miss Quinn, but something's wrong with my car. Would you mind if I used your phone?"

"Sure." She handed him the house phone. "I have to check on someone."

He picked up the phone, dialing a number and allowing Thalia to leave the room. Picking up her cell, she dialed Donnie. "So he's still here."

"Is it safe for me to come back upstairs?"

"Probably not. He was asking about the Gifted people I came into contact with at the Sandbox, and wanted to know about which Gifted's brainwashing I was present for."

"Who's was it?"

"Yours, brain."

"Right, forgot, sorry. So coming upstairs is a no go?"

"For the time being. Don't forget, date night tonight. We're going out to eat."

"Okay."

Hanging up the line, she turned and Talbot was behind her. "You never mentioned having a significant other."

"It wasn't brought up, Mister Talbot," Thalia crossed her arms. "You never asked, I never answered. End of discussion."

"Do they know about you being Gifted?"

"Of course he does!" Thalia stepped back. "Why would I hide that from him?"

"Well if your Gift was something that could endanger him, then I'd understand if you wouldn't tell him."

"Except it hasn't endangered him, but rather helped him. He no longer suffers from nightmares. How's that for useful talents?"

"What is it that you can do, exactly?"

She smiled coyly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"As a matter of fact, I would."

"Well until your little Superhuman Registration Act goes through, I don't have to tell you a damn thing. Even afterwards, I still won't tell you a damn thing."

"Well if the Act goes through--"

"All _human_ beings with superpowers have to register."

"You're implying that you yourself aren't even human to begin with."

She laughed. "Maybe I'm not."

"Well then what does that make _you_?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would, actually."

"Too bad. Your time here is up." Thalia barked out an order in Portuguese, and two men entered from the back porch. "Escort our guest here off the premises."

"I am here on a case to determine your Gifts, Miss Quinn. If I need to, I can easily arrest your men for obstructing my investigation."

"Except in the email you sent me, you gave off the impression that it was supposed to be a friendly, one-on-one conversation as the both of us worked towards trying to figure out what was in the file. Not one where I was treated like a prisoner in my own home." The men brought out their guns, pointing them at Talbot. "Now, you can make haste and leave."

"You threaten an Air Force general?"

"After you threaten a Maltese diplomat?" Thalia laughed humorlessly. "See how well that one goes down with your superiors. Because what are we going to say if a pair of handcuffs touches my wrists, gentlemen?"

"'We believed our charge was being placed in life-threatening danger and were forced to act accordingly,'" both men replied monotone, their stares unwavering. "'Our duty is to protect Thalia Quinn under any means necessary.'"

"Exactly. So if you were to arrest me for obstructing my _own_ investigation under the premise that I was Gifted, which by the way was documented by S.H.I.E.L.D. who everyone knows fell and their secrets are worth about as much as dirt and aren't to be trusted, perhaps the country of Malta would take that to personal offense, as accusing one of their diplomats of something without proof is tantamount to declaring a state of war. Now, you can leave."

He moodily left the room, shutting the front door behind him. "You two can go. I have a date to get ready for."

~*~

Answering the call, Coulson gazed upon Talbot's enraged face with nonchalant friendliness. "How are you, friend?"

"Thalia Quinn is Gifted, isn't she?"

"What?"

"Thalia Quinn, Ian's daughter, she's Gifted, isn't she?"

"I'm not sure why that information would be useful to you."

"Because me in my brilliant genius decided to take on her case the day after Christmas and found myself talked into a circle and out the front door."

"Yeah. How did you think she's gone this long without being questioned as to her lengthy disappearance or the reason why her name showed up on the internet after the fall?" Coulson laughed wryly. "That I know for a fact is something she inherited from Ian. That man is quite a talker. Did you not read her file completely?"

"Why?"

"She was put under a different alias as a young Japanese American named Noriko--"

"Noriko Sato? You're kidding. That was her?"

"I take it you ran into her."

"Yeah, a crackhead in Accounting said their cousin was in a class with this chick named Noriko who made serious money off of exam questions that she predicted would be on their exams and made over four thousand dollars off this until her teachers noticed and contacted all sorts of different people, many of which wanted to expel her for larceny until they data mined her hard drive and searched her things and found no evidence suggesting she stole anything. Someone went in and came out with more questions than answers. End of discussion, case closed."

"Yeah well as it turned out, that was our men hiding her because we thought the Clairvoyant was putting her in danger."

"Well, since you 'know' about as much as she does, I'll be done."

~*~  
Opening the door, Donnie let Thalia into the house, shutting the door and taking her hand. She turned around, smiling and rubbing his fingers with her thumb. "I take it you enjoyed it."

"You are now the best half-human being on planet earth," he claimed adamantly. "Seriously."

"Well thank you for stating the obvious," she beamed. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get out of my coat and boots."

Unzipping her coat, she shrugged out of the thick garment, shaking the snow off and folding the coat over her arm. "You know, it's odd," Donnie spoke. "I can almost look at you eye level now."

She scowled. "Don't ruin the good thing we got going."

"But you're such an adorable short person," he began, and she silenced him by placing a finger over his mouth.

"Shut up."

He nodded, and she removed her finger. He beamed, and she later smiled. "You are too adorable," she grumbled, walking towards the couch to sit and remove her boots. "Rub my feet please."

Taking her feet in his lap, he began rubbing a foot at a time, looking up and seeing Thalia place her elbow on the arm, resting her head in her hand. "Tired?"

"Little bit," she yawned. "Much like you, social activity tends to wear me out quickly."

"Did you take all your medicine today?"

"Yes, lune, I did."

"Did you eat?" Donnie gave Thalia a sympathetic look. "Thalia Lorelei Quinn, you need to eat. You know what happens when you don't."

"I wasn't feeling too keen on eating at that moment. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Come here." Donnie leaned forward and kissed her jaw, standing and taking a granola bar from the nightstand drawer and tossing it towards her. "Eat."

She tore open the packaging, devouring the granola bar in seconds. "Thank you."

Shooting the wrapper into the trash can, she stood, picking up the wrapper off the floor and tossing it into the can. Donnie leaned on the counter, watching her while sipping from his water. "Problems?"

"You zip it," she shot back, standing up. "I am not in the mood."

He simply chuckled softly, downing a portion of his water before approaching her, wrapping her in his arms. "Still tired?"

She nodded, yawning and beginning to droop against him. Shuffling towards the dresser, he took out her pajamas, slowly undressing her and putting the silky garments on her body. Tucking her in, he watched as her eyes drooped closed, his heart warming at the thought of her.  
~G.A.M.E.~

_"Don't put too much thought into it," Seth shook his head. "Otherwise, it'll fall apart."_

_"Well if I can't stabilize the main structure then the entire machine will go off kilter and knock itself over."_

_"And that'd be a bad thing because..?"_

_"Because I don't want it sitting heavy on my conscience that we're asking your dad's employer to keep buying new parts over and over."_

_"Mister Quinn said he didn't mind as long as we were going to give him a demonstration of the prototype when it's done." Seth sat down next to Donnie on the work bench, leaning on the table. "Maybe you should take a break."_

_Donnie shook his head. "Seth, I can't, I have to stabilize this."_

_Seth leaned closer to him, raising an eyebrow suggestively. "Please?"_

_"No."_

_"Pretty please?"_

_"Seth, I already said--" his response was cut off as Seth dragged him by the front of his shirt away from his project and towards him, eagerly pressing their lips together. The screwdriver fell from Donnie's hand, clattering to the floor as he reached to gently cup Seth's cheek. The just as soon as it started, it ended, with Donnie pulling back. "I can't. Not until--"_

_Seth swiped the tool off the floor, giving a screw on the machine a few quick twists before grabbing an upright support beam and shaking it. When it didn't rattle, Seth made a sweeping gesture with his hand and Donnie gasped softly, smiling. Seth then took the opportunity to kiss Donnie again. Donnie eagerly responded this time, running his fingers through Seth's hair._

_"Hell, Donnie," Seth huskily growled. "You're making me think some very bad things."_

_Donnie chuckled softly, sucking on Seth's throat. "Your catholic mother would disapprove."_

_"Then I'll confess to my sins later," Seth let out in a rush of air. "In the meantime, take me to church."_

Opening his eyes, Donnie turned over and slid over next to Thalia, who was still sleeping contentedly. Then she was awake, her speckled eyes fluttering open. "Good morning."

Slowly, she mussed her hair, smiling sleepily and yawning. "Donnie." She scooted towards him. "Happy birthday, my love."

"I'm a year older. To imagine, a year ago, I was accepted to the Academy."

"And now, you're in bed with your fiancée," she smiled. "Talk about a major upgrade."

He laughed. "Come here."

She giggled and climbed into his lap, pulling her hair back behind her. "Yes?"

"Do you realize that you are such an angel?"

"Am I now?"

"After all the crazy hell that the world's been through, I no longer deny the existence of such divine beings. Not the point. Point is, I'm not sure how many times I can tell you that you are close to Jesus walking on water."

"Quite a few times now, lune."

"Thank you for everything."

"No need to thank me, I'm just being  decent person."

"A _wonderful_ fiancée that treats me like a decent human being," Donnie beamed. "So thank you."

Sitting up, he took Thalia in his arms, running his hands over her arms and legs. She jumped off of him, landing gracefully on the floor and pulling her robe on. "Well, I'm making breakfast. What do you want?"

"Thalia, you know I'm not the asking type. Make what you want to. You know I'll eat it anyways."

"You're too flattering."

"And you are too nice to me." He climbed out of bed when someone knocked at the door. "Who is it?"

"It is Amora, open the door please."

Thalia opened the door, where the giantess stood, wrapped in a robe. "These garments are rather comfortable. I found one gifted to me from your father. My birthday has passed; why did I receive a gift?"

"It was an earthly holiday for giving gifts to people. Where were you?"

"Tending to my customers on Asgard. I must ask if you would be kind enough to make more pumpkin pie. People there are absolutely fanatical over the dessert."

"Sorry, Aunt Amora. Pumpkins fell out of season last month."

"Oh, I see. So, I heard that it was your lover's birthday today."

"Nineteen. Finally as old as this cougar over here."

Thalia's face darkened, a brief look of fury passing over her features. "I swear to God, stop calling me a damn cougar!"

"Nephew, why do you call her a large cat?"

"It's a derogatory term used for women that are known for dating younger men. Which is funny considering you're my first boyfriend and _fiancé_ ," Thalia gritted out sarcastically.

"I would have to agree with my niece, Donald. It's horribly sexist, and not to mention she will live for thousands of years. She will always be older than everyone." Amora turned to Thalia. "Besides that, I take heed and leave."

Vanishing into her room, Amora left the two in silence. "You hungry still?"

He smiled sleepily. "Surprise me."  
~*~  
Handing him a long kabob of miniature pancakes and fruit, he bit off the end, setting the kabob down and watching him chew his food. He then beamed. "It's good."

"Really? Thank you."

"Come here, you," he pulled her forward, turning her around and taking down her hair. Reaching for her hairbrush, he began brushing her silky tresses, the wavy tangle of dark hair becoming an inky waterfall. Then he began taking her hair in, braiding it down her back and securing the end of the braid with a small hair tie.

"You love braiding my hair, don't you?"

"I _do_ , oddly enough. It's so pretty."

"I want to take you out for your birthday."

"I'm not going to say no, because then you'll just make me go anyways."  
~*~  
Daisy looked at her computer, smiling at the sight. "Simmons, come look at this!"

Jemma looked over her shoulder at the screen, where an E! network channel was showing a clip of Donnie and Thalia out in public, strolling down the sidewalk. "These two are the most talked about couple on tv right now. Listen."

Clicking audio, they listened as a reporter gushed on over the two. "As new as her reappearance is, Thalia Quinn and her fiancé have certainly earned couple of the year for their often described as heroic and romantic first meeting. They met in April completely by chance when she had been hit by a car, her internal bleeding having him make the life saving decision to donate blood to her after the hospital that was treating her had used up all their AB negative stores during her surgery. When she awoke from the medically induced coma, they met, beginning their relationship. Since then, they have been sequestered away, their love for each other growing out of the eye of the public.

"However, tragedy struck the two when Thalia was nearly killed in a failed assassination attempt. While she clung to life, he faithfully remained by her side, even refusing to leave so he could sleep because he didn't want to leave." The reporter smiled. "Besides, the two of them are absolutely adorable together. It's no wonder they got the honorary title."

Daisy turned off the audio. "We did that, you know. Brought them together."

"Don't give us too much credit. We were trying to separate them the entire time."

"Don't be a sourpuss, Simmons. We're looking at the bright side. Bright side being that both of them are under control, they'll balance each other out and police themselves, and neither of them is a part of Hydra anymore. Everything is as it should be."

"For now."

Daisy smiled, closing the computer. "Yeah, for now."  
~*~  
If he wasn't being cliché enough already, he was by saying that Thalia's laughter and assorted sounds gave him life. Every sigh of content, gasp of surprise, and every moan of pleasure made his heart thud faster with the thought that he was the one making the sounds pass her lips.

Like he did now, kissing her throat softly and listening to her panting and hungrily pulling his lips to hers. Tangled in her, evening darkness and Moonlight Sonata, the dark and romantic Beethoven piece played its first movement on repeat while he indulged her wanton need for him to be closer, pressing closer to her until he could feel her erratic heartbeat against the delicate skin of her lips.

He then found himself flipped onto his back, looking up as Thalia panted softly, her breath shuddering as she let her fingertips roam his face. Then her lips were back on his, gentler yet still ardent. He tugged on her braid, pulling the tie out and letting her braid fall apart.

Suddenly she broke the kiss, panting, "Aunt Amora could do it. Finish the ritual."

He tried willing his racing heart to slow down. "Are you sure? You know what that would do."

Thalia nodded. "Tantamount to eloping, I know."

"What inspired you to come to this?"

"Today, we were just so happy and so I figured, why not? I don't want a big wedding, I was never a fan of all that. To me, I just wanted it to be between me, you, and a few of our family members to witness. I wanted it to be small and private."

"Well you know me, and I'm all in. When do you want to do it?"

"I'm not sure yet. But I'm sure I'll find the right time."

He smoothed back the hair on the sides of head. "I trust that you will," he assured her, briefly pecking her on the lips. Never really intending to actually back away, he tilted his head slightly, his hands moving along her ribs. Slowly, his fingers tangled with hers, pulling her tank top over her head; when she tossed it to the floor, she placed her hands on either side of his face, giggling at their simple fumble. Somewhere in the midst of their sloppy, laughter-filled kisses, Donnie felt his hands grasping for her hips, his thumbs rubbing ice into the prominent bones. Before the words passed his lips, she whispered, "You first."

Disentangling his fingers from her belt loops, he clumsily pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the floor and resuming his previous activities. Her hair was veiling them from rest of the world, the moment growing in intensity (he wasn't going to say heat, because really, who was he kidding with that at this point). His lips were on her neck, pushing her down onto her back, hand running along her bare thigh, the thought almost passed him...

"No! Stop," he panted hoarsely. "I don't have..."

"If only you had a fiancée that kept inventory of such things," she said softly, reaching for the nightstand. She produced a small foil packet, pressing it into his hand. "And to answer your question, yes. I do want to."

"You know," he answered teasingly with a moody edge, "it kind of kills the mood when you can tell what I'm thinking."

"Thankfully, I'm not killing the mood." She pulled down the blanket, covering them. "I'm making it better. Because I'm giving you consent."

He lowered himself onto her, she immediately felt her fingertips grasping for purchase on his shoulder, a small gasp leaving her lips. It didn't really hurt, but it still made her have to inhale sharply. Slowly, the pain faded away, and instead replaced itself with pleasure, the sensation making her laugh when they kissed. When he smoothed his hand across the back of her thigh, he trailed ice lightly over the sensitive skin. She gasped, laughing into their kiss. So when she skimmed her fingertips over his back, she shocked him with a few stray bolts of static. "You know, I just love how you continue to _shock_ me, Thalia. Really puts the spark back into the relationship."

"God, you're so corny," she laughed, stilling him. "Like really, right in the middle--"

He shrugged a shoulder, smiling impishly. "It just came to me."

"Oh my God, again, really?"

"You know, for such a quiet girl you make a lot of noise."

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"You now?" He laughed as she did, hiding behind her hair. "I thought I was the one with an indecent sense of humor."

"Well you tend to rub off on people."

"Oh my God, that was awful," he groaned, burying his face in her shoulder while she laughed in embarrassment.

"It just came out," she laughed. He kissed her shoulder, making his way back up to her face. She pushed her hair out of her face, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry."

He put his arms on either side of her head. "You're adorable. All is forgiven."

"Good, because I don't like unfinished business."

When they kissed again, she ran her hands along his ribs, pausing when he closed his eyes, making a soft yet deep sigh. "God, you are incredibly warm. It just throws me off sometimes."

"Then we should do this more often. Just being close together, no clothes. After all, you'll get used to it faster if there's more of it to contact."

"If you're being serious, I'd like to take you up on the offer," he pressed themselves together, making another one of her small gasps escape her parted lips. "Starting now."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
When Amora strode into the room, she felt her lips tug up into a smile when she spotted the two of them together, their limbs tangled in each other as they slept. "Niece!"

Thalia shot up into a sitting position, her face set in panic. "Oh my God, what the hell are you doing in here?" she hissed, holding the sheets to her chest. "That door was locked _for_ _a reason!_ "

"Niece of mine, you do realize what I am capable of. I came bearing a visitor."

She simultaneously pursed her lips and tensed her jaw. "Who?"

Sam strode into the room, a grin on his face and his gaze falling to her. "Good mor-- Oh my God."

"Yeah, I know," she shot a deadly glare at Amora, which simply bounced off her cheerful demeanor. "Both of you, leave. I need to get dressed."

"If it helps, I've already seen you naked."

Her eyes widened, turning to face Sam. "That isn't helping me, as a matter of fact, it makes this incredibly frightening, disturbing, despairing and awkward as hell!"

"I'll wait outside," Sam pointed a finger outside the room.

"Yeah, you go wait," she shooed him away, shooting an even deadlier glare at Amora. "What. In. The _hell_ is your deal?"

"I came to bring you your visitor," Amora pouted. "How was I to know that you were in Donald's company?"

"I don't know," Thalia waved her hand in the air, reaching down to the floor to grab her robe from the floor, "maybe the _locked door_ that you claimed to have opened?"

"That was not a claim, it was a declaration."

"Whatever!" She scoffed. "Then, let's not forget to factor in that you _are_ telepathic and you _can_ tell what people are thinking, so normally you would assume that a locked door and an engaged couple having a night in would mean _what?_ "

"I'm not sure why you get worked up when Donald is still asleep," Amora gestured to the bed, where he still slept on.

"Yes, let's be thankful that the reason why I feel absolutely humiliated right now is the reason he's not even conscious to witness my distress!"

Amora furrowed her brow, her face then breaking into a dirty grin. "So you two..."

"Yes! If it wasn't obvious enough, yes!" Thalia exclaimed. "Lots of it! And it was mind-blowing, thank you very much!"

"Then why would you be so humiliated as to be seen by your friend?"

"He's my only other friend, Aunt Amora! I don't want to force any awkward tension between us because..."

"Because?"

"Because while I was Anna, he was my boyfriend." Thalia wove her fingers together. "I don't want to start anything between Donnie and Sam and I."

"And Sam and Anna were intimate? Like you and Donald?"

"I'm led to believe so."

"Oh. Niece I did not realize, I'm so sorry," Amora reached towards her, sympathetic at the new knowledge. "I did not intend for you to face embarrassment. I will resolve this."

"Aunt Amora, no, you don't need to."

"No, I do, I caused this," the blonde hardened her resolve. "I will fix this."

She left the room, and Thalia turned back to the bed, climbing back under the warm covers and stirring Donnie. She smiled softly, pressing her lips to his temple. "Good morning."

"Hi," he mumbled, cracking an eye open. "Already up and moving?"

"No, Aunt Amora made a surprise appearance this morning. I got out of bed to talk with her."

He smiled wryly. "And did she ask about--"

"My lack of clothing? Yes. To which I basically said the amount of static electricity you were shocked with last night was equivalent to the amount of electricity a homemade orange electric plant would make."

"Then that might explain why my back feels so raw."

She laughed quietly. "No, it would not."

He opened the other eye, a teasing grin on his face. "You got something you want to tell me?"

"I'm still tired?"

"Or that my back probably looks like a scratching post?" He laughed at her when her cheeks flushed crimson. "I'm teasing you, Lia."

"Donald Vincent Gill, capable of caustic humor. Who would've thought the day would come," she teased him back. "Get out of bed," she shoved him playfully. "We got things to do today."

~*~

Looking out the back windows, Ian couldn't help but smile at the sight of the small, camp-like mess taking place on the back porch. An outdoor fireplace crackled heartily, the marble floor scattered with blankets and sporadic bowls of popcorn and candy placed on the coffee table. "No, but look, everyone says that Taylor Swift should regret switching over to pop or that it isn't her, but she said herself that she wanted to go in a different direction because she felt like she had done enough in the country genre. It's called changing for the better. There's nothing wrong with a little change."

"Lune de ma vie, you are going to need to slow down. Who the hell is Taylor Swift?"

"You're kidding me, you have no idea who Taylor Swift is?"

"Not a clue, you're gonna need to help me out here."

"She's this insanely popular singer that went from country to pop. How do you not know who she is?"

"Why don't you look it up, brainiac?" Thalia sat smugly as Donnie pulled out his phone, searching up the singer. "Well, what does it say?"

"Earliest known works, back in..." Donnie's face fell slightly, "2006."

"So? What about it?"

"You were missing a lot longer than that, Thalia."

She raised an eyebrow. "And? There's no real reason for me to get worked up. So I don't know who a huge superstar is, big deal."

"I just feel like a huge part of life in general completely skipped over you. It sucks." He frowned. "I mean, I'm not even into her kind of music yet I know who she is."

"I'll be fine. On the other hand, I have some good news. The doctor that treated my anaphylaxis recommended me to a doctor that's going to start me on a therapy treatment for the apple allergy."

"Are you sure that will work at all? The doctor is most likely under the impression that you're a full blooded human being."

"Carroll said she knows a doctor that treats people that aren't necessarily full blooded humans either."

"An Inhuman doctor?"

"Well, at least it's better than a human doctor. He knows that I'm not entirely human."

"True." She plucked a piece of popcorn from the bowl, nibbling on it. "He comes over the day after tomorrow. You know, if you wanted," she looked at him while he watched her from the corner of his eye, "I could ask that you could get a therapy treatment for your allergies."

"I already adapted a lifestyle that keeps me out of a pineapple's way," Donnie replied humorously. "I've done so for nineteen years. No need for me to suddenly change that up now."

"But I remember getting the lecture that change is good," she laughed. "What ever happened to that?"

"I was talking about Taylor Swift's music choices."

"Yet the principle of it was what counted. 'Nothing is wrong with a little change.'"

"Don't talk your way around me," he laughed. "I know what you can do."

"And I to you, love of mine," Thalia replied sweetly. "Where's the chocolate? I remember you making domino cookies earlier."

Donnie barked out a laugh. "You better eat all of them. I spent the two years you were in the shower making them."

"It's called getting clean, and once again, I remember getting another lecture about that same topic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I wish I had the same kind of relationship that Donnie and Thalia have. Being smart and sarcastic while being sweet and romantic towards each other. Oh, and the puns during giggly sex would be a plus, too. 
> 
> I love comments and feedback!


	32. Just A Flesh Wound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooh, Tiff, I've been waiting for this one. After two months of waiting, I present this gem that has my sisters quoting Donnie's and Thalia's sarcastic and witty quips. Hope you enjoy it.

"When did the doctor say he was gonna be here again?"

"Ten a.m. sharp," Thalia answered, buttoning her shirt and tugging on her boots. "So I am officially running late."

"Thalia Quinn, late for an at-home doctor's appointment. I don't think the doctor is going to care that you look like you woke up in the nightwear section of a Victoria's Secret catalog. He's getting paid to come here, so some part of me thinks that he'd at least expect some level of disheveled appearances."

"Which is why you'll be staying in here."

Donnie scrunched his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because I want to look presentable. You and your need to dress in stuff pulled off the floor isn't going to fly."

"I put my stuff in the dresser, thank you." He held her face between his hands, directing her gaze up to him. "Thalia, relax."

"I'm trying. But I don't know this guy, Donnie, it's hard."

"And I know it is. I'll be here."

"I won't bother asking if you promise because you can't leave anyways." She laughed, strutting to the door when there was a knock. Composing herself, she opened the door, with Carroll on the other side. "Hi!"

"Thalia," Carroll nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Your doctor is a friend of mine who's carpooling. He'll be in shortly. So, where's Donnie?"

"Hey, Carroll," Donnie waved, hugging the doctor. "How are you?"

"Good," Carroll smiled as her companion entered the room. "Lincoln, is everything set up?"

"Yep, ready to go," Lincoln smiled. Turning to Thalia, he offered his hand. "Lincoln Campbell. Abbey told me that you were in need of assistance."

"Yes, I've apparently had this bad allergy to apples since I was little."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"Well, not really," Thalia tried to explain, but laughed awkwardly. "It's a long story. You may want to sit."

Leading Lincoln and the group into the living room, Thalia sat down, preparing to put her hands on Lincoln's head when he shied away. "What are you..?"

"It's the way I show you," Thalia answered. "The way my gift works is I have to be touching your head. That way I can take temporary control of your senses and show you the memory."

"I'm afraid I don't actually know what you can do," Lincoln shot a worried look at Abbey. "Can I get a bit of a display?"

"It'll be just a second," Thalia shook it off, quickly touching her fingertips to Lincoln's temple.

_"You are an absolutely gorgeous Snow White, Tally," Ian beamed at her._

_"Quit distracting her, Ian." Amora shot an annoyed look at Ian, pinning Thalia's hair back into a bob. "It's distracting me."_

_"She's fine."_

_"Yeah, Aunt Amora!" Thalia hopped off Amora's lap. "I can stay still!"_

_"You are but a toddler, Thalia. And five year olds here, from my brief visits, they don't tend to have very long or impressive abilities to stay still for a long time."_

_"But I did!"_

_"And I praise you, niece," Amora handed Thalia her candy bag. "Now go collect your sweets. I love your chocolates!"_

_Giggling, Thalia ran to catch up with the rest of the children. "You like chocolate, Amora?"_

_"It's much sweeter here than it is back home, Ian." Amora frowned when the parent at the door gave out red apples. "Bilgspat."_

_"What?"_

_"No chocolate. This human just gives out apples."_

_"That human is a dentist." When Amora raised her eyebrow, Ian elaborated, saying, "He works on people's teeth."_

_"Quite the dangerous profession, I presume?"_

_"Occasionally." Ian crouched down when Thalia returned sullen, holding her apple. "Tally, what's wrong?"_

_"I promised Aunt Amora that I'd get her chocolate! Instead I got this," Thalia offered her apple to Ian. "Will you eat it?"_

_"No Thalia, but I have a better idea. Why don't you take a bite of it for a picture? If you do, then I'll eat it."_

_"Fine," Thalia set down her candy bag, taking a bite of it and beaming when the camera flash went off. "It tastes funny."_

_"Well of course it does, it's not chocolate," Ian teased. "I'll get these developed tomorrow," he told her, leading her to the next house. "Go get yourself some candy," he nudged her forward, creasing his brow when Thalia started gasping for breath. "Thalia, what's wrong?"_

_"I can't breathe," she gasped out, crumpling to the ground. Ian immediately swept her tiny frame up into his arms._

_"Someone call an ambulance!" Ian yelled, pressing his ear to her chest. "Oh God, Amora, she's barely breathing, what do I do?"_

_She swept the apple up off the cobblestone drive, inspecting the inside and smelling it. "I smell no poisons," she told him._

_"Here!" A little girl led her mother over towards them, who frantically dug an EpiPen out of her purse. "I've got one!"_

_"Lay her down," the mother advised, and when Ian did, she lifted the skirt of Thalia's costume, sticking her thigh with the pen. "I'm so sorry, my daughter is highly allergic to peanuts, so I always keep hers on me."_

_"Ian, I will take her sweets and inspect them," Amora held Thalia's candy bag. "Make sure none of her candy is tainted with poison."_

_Ian looked at the mother, who was checking Thalia's pulse. "Get mommy her purse, sweetheart. This girl needs the other one."_

_"Why?"_

_"The swelling in her throat isn't going down," the mom explained, gently taking his fingers and pressing them against Thalia's throat. "And her tongue is swelling. It'll bring the swelling down enough for her to breathe."_

_"There she is," they heard someone call out behind him. "Gentle," the paramedics lifted her up onto the stretcher, beginning to do their own, more effective fluttering over Thalia's little form._

_"I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need you guys to come with us," the paramedics said, wheeling her into the ambulance._

_"Of course," the mother nodded. "Come on."_

_Later, in the hospital, as Ian patiently waited into the night for Thalia, the doctor entered the room. He stood. "Well?"_

_"Well, as unheard of as it is, Thalia here seems to be allergic to apples." The doctor ran a hand through his hair. "We examined the apple that she had eaten and ran a blood panel and found that her white blood cells were attacking a chemical that was present in her system."_

_"Which was what?"_

_"I'm sorry sir, but I have three degrees in fields of medicine and cannot determine the source of the allergen that made her have such a severe reaction. All I could say is that there's some unknown factor that makes her have violent episodes."_

Then the memory was over, with Lincoln holding her hand away from his head. "I seem to have my work cut out for me."

~*~

"Lincoln is my way back in," Daisy sighed. "As much as I don't like having to use him as the icebreaker, pun not intended, I want him to be able to at least be a peacemaker between me and Thalia."

"Does he even know how to deal with allergies and things in that department?"

"He's a doctor, so yes, he's got broad experience."

Mack frowned. "Treating Inhumans."

"Well it's a start," Daisy snapped. "After all, both Lincoln and Thalia share the same abilities, so it isn't like they aren't going to get along."

"Okay Tremors, just be sure you know what you're getting into."

"Yes sir," Daisy mock saluted him, and Mack shook his head, returning to his projects. Coulson came up to her, and she jabbed a thumb at Mack's back. "When did he show up?"

"To me, he's been around for the past two days, but Hyde's influence takes longer on some people than it does others."

Daisy nodded. "I'll agree. I just now realized I was talking to him."

"Well, her effects are wearing off. Which is the best news I've heard in a while." Coulson walked with Daisy to his office. "So I heard about you sending Lincoln Thalia's way today."

"He has some of the same powers she does, so I thought he would be a better fit for treating her."

"That's a good thought," Coulson nodded. "Good job."

"Well it wasn't really much of an idea, actually. A fresh face with similar abilities. It'll give her a chance to trust him so that it'll soften the blow when I eventually see them again."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
When the elevator doors closed behind him, Donnie entered the dining room, looking up and nearly dropping his things. Thalia was laid out on the table, wearing a pair of pajama pants as needles stuck out of her stomach; she hovered slightly above the table, silent and unmoving.

"Thalia?" He reached out to touch her when her skin glowed an electric blue, fading when he moved his hand away. Lincoln rounded the corner, a bag in hand when Donnie could already feel his fingertips growing frosty. "Who are you?"

"I'm her doctor. Everyone calls me Lincoln," he offered his hand.

"What are you doing to Thalia?"

"It's helping her, I promise," Lincoln set the bag down. "However, I may have to wake her up soon. I have to head back home in a while." Lincoln approached her unconscious form, guiding her floating body down to the table and slowly taking needles out of her stomach. "So how do you know her?"

"We're engaged."

"Oh," Lincoln nodded. "For how long?"

"Since she almost died back in September," Donnie glared menacingly.

"I truly do not mean to be intrusive. I only mean to help."

"And I don't doubt you are," he replied, inching closer to her.

"You're being overly protective," Lincoln noted with a forced laugh, "but I truly do not mean to harm her. I hope to help."

"Of course I'm protective," Donnie ground out, the areas around his hands slowly turning icy. Lincoln's gaze briefly flickered to the sight of his slowly freezing the table. "When the only person you love is placed is life threatening danger, you tend to get just a _little_ antsy when they're around other people."

"And you don't get antsy when you do that around her?" Lincoln nodded to the ice around his hands. "You're not worried that doing that will hurt her?"

Thalia's sleeping form then touched the table, the glowing needles in her stomach dimming. Lincoln slowly pulled them out, gathering them in his hand. "I'm not hurting her," Donnie answered softly, his scary act melting away as he slowly lifted her into his arms. "I never would."

Lincoln watched in awe as Donnie pressed a kiss to her forehead, holding her tighter and carrying her to her bedroom, setting her in the bed. "Then why act so terrifying?" Lincoln asked. "Scare possible friends away?"

"If nobody does, she gets hurt," he answered quietly. "She always gets hurt."

"She's capable of protecting herself."

"We protect each other." Donnie smiled as her fingers twitched in his. "She's a lot stronger than I am. We adopted the 'guy next to you' policy. Protect the guy next to you. They'll do the same."

When Donnie pulled his fingers from Thalia's, he reached for a thin book on the nightstand. "So how much do I owe?" he asked, positioning a pen in his left hand.

"Oh no, I'm not charging," Lincoln answered with a short laugh. "I won't charge Inhumans. It's always a policy of mine."

"Inhuman?" Donnie looked at Thalia. "She's not Inhuman. Half human, yes, Inhuman half, no."

"Then what is she?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Dude, I practiced medicine in a secret Inhuman refuge for years, treating a number of different Inhumans including a new girl who can shapeshift into literally anything. I can keep a secret."

Donnie sighed. "She's Asgardian."

"Well, that's different," Lincoln answered honestly.

"But you're not surprised."

"My mentor said that they're really rare due to such genetic conflicts between humans and them. But yes, I'm not surprised. I can manipulate electricity, for God's sake."

"So the whole Inhuman thing has just kind of numbed you to anything else that would normally be deemed out of the ordinary?"

"I just roll with it."

"Well then how much do I owe?"

"Nothing." Lincoln shook his head, his gaze falling to Donnie's hands. "I won't charge."  
~*~  
Daisy stood when Lincoln entered the room, his face set in a mask of concentration. "Well?"

"I'm working on a theory," he muttered softly. "Where's your scientist friend?"

"Simmons?"

The biochemist appeared at the sound of her name. "Yes?"

"Have you guys entertained the idea that the guy my new patient is engaged to is possibly Inhuman?"

Daisy and Jemma stood in absolute silence. "Donnie, Inhuman?"

"He was getting really pissed and territorial over me being too close to her when she was _so_ vulnerable, that he started freezing the dining room table."

"Well, we've known about that part for a while."

"But no matter how much control he has over it, they're still based in his emotions." Lincoln pulled Daisy away. "I studied him and he's met all the criteria in the short span of time I've been around him."

"There's a criteria?"

"Well, it's a precaution, but most Inhumans I've encountered tend to meet them."

"And they are..?"

"Top two I stick to would be emotionally-based and left handedness."

"Really? Being left handed makes someone an Inhuman?"

"Our brains are wired differently. Notice how since Terrigenesis you've been using your left hand an awful lot more."

Daisy looked down at her hand. "Anyways, the other one."

"Even with the amount of control we put into keeping our abilities under control, our powers are still based heavily in our emotions. You get scared and the windows shake. I get angry and the lights flicker. He gets territorial over new people getting uncomfortably close to Thalia and he lowers the temperature of a room and freezes a table."

"Well once again, he's been like that since she almost died. He's scared of losing her." Daisy crossed her arms. "What inspired this whole line of thoughts anyways?"

"Because Thalia responds to the acupuncture treatments. And those don't work on anyone else except for Inhumans."

"But she's Asgardian."

"Then surely you find it odd that an _Asgardian_ would react to treatments that would normally only work on Inhumans."

Daisy looked at Lincoln in realization. "He gave her blood."

"Which means if she's reacting to the treatments, then she's got Inhuman blood in her. And if she received a blood transfusion from him..."

"Then we need to get a sample and test it. But his blood will freeze if it's outside his body."

"Good thing I'm creative."  
~*~  
Entering their bedroom, dusk light bathed the hardwood floor in an ethereal glow as he padded softly to the bed. Thalia still laid sprawled out, chest softly rising and falling with the words _Arctic Monkeys_ written in the signature bold script across the breast of the shirt. He bent down to the side of the bed, shaking Thalia softly. "Hey sleepyhead," he whispered, brushing her hair from her face. "Thalia," he whispered again, looking over her and watching her sleep. In a split second, he was then facing the ceiling, Thalia straddling him.

She smiled, looking down on him through her dark lashes. "Hi."

"What the hell was that?" he asked breathlessly. "I thought you were asleep!"

Thalia just laughed softly, making him purse his lips in annoyance. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he pulled her closer, pressing their chests together until she wheezed softly, twining her fingers behind his neck. "You drooled a bit, you know," he added humorously, skimming his fingertips over her jawline. "Just right there in the entire lower left half of your jaw."

"Well then I guess a shower is in order, isn't it?"

As he picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, he asked, "Is this constantly taking showers a subtle dig at me to join you? I do have space of my own, Lia."

"If I wanted you locked in a room with me naked, surrounded in steam and covered in body wash, you'd be locked in a room with me naked, surrounded in steam and covered in body wash."

"Is that so?" He set her down on the edge of the counter, reaching for the hand towel to clean her jaw. "So how was your day?"

"I spent the majority of it sleeping, oddly enough," she shrugged, tilting her jaw to the side as he slowly rubbed it with the wet corner. "But I guess my day is pretty tame compared to yours. What happened?"

He laughed softly. "Once again, kind of kills the mood when you can tell what I'm thinking," he muttered. "I tested the Blizzard machine to a complete success. No incidents."

"Great!" Thalia smiled as he began patting her dry. When she grabbed her toothbrush, she said, "So what happens now?"

"Well, your dad wanted a working apparatus, and now he's got it, so I should be getting less heat from him now."

"You get more of a cold shoulder than heat when it comes to him," she teased. "But I'm sure he'll stay off your case now that it's done."

"Well, it's almost ten, so it's bedtime."

"Ten p.m.? Wow, you're such a grandpa," she teased. "What's next, a hankering for old war movies, Fig Newtons?"

"Say what you want, war movies actually aren't all that bad, and Fig Newtons are actually kinda good. If I remember, Carroll made you eat them as part of your soft food regimen?"

"God, worst time of my life, guaranteed," she grimaced. "Nasty bastards those things were."

"Oh, so such a feeble food is below your sophisticated and expensive palate?"

"No!" She laughed. "I just did not grow an acquired taste to them." She returned to the cool half of the bed, laying on her side. "What's a nice boy like you liking something like Fig Newtons?"

He laughed, sliding into bed. "I have to sleep."

"Good night," she whispered, brushing her hand across his cheek.  
~*~  
All the money in the world couldn't get him to turn away from how gorgeous Thalia was in the morning light.

She held her cup of coffee in mittened hands, laughing at him when he once again slipped on the ice, almost wiping out on the sidewalk. "This is ridiculous," he grumbled. "I can freeze things, surely I'd be immune to the effects of such an ability."

"Are you sure it's not because you're clumsy?"

"You have no place to talk, Miss Ice Queen, master of balance on cold, slippery surfaces." Slipping again, she extended her hand to him, helping him stay upright and balanced. "Not all of us can be as graceful as you, Lia."

"Not all of us are born with warrior's balance and quick reflexes while being trained by Russian ballerinas," she said in response, her hair being blown around her in the blustering wind. "Just like not all of us can be insane geniuses."

"The way you mange to downplay and show off your talents while at the same time complimenting the both of us for our unique brains is something I may never fully grasp when it comes to you."

She softly smiled, offering her cup to him. He shook his head, and they sat down at a bench, watching the pedestrians gawk and stare. Thalia pressed her fingers to the space between her eyebrows, closing her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Headache," she answered quietly. Immediately he began digging through her bag, producing an orange pill bottle. "Lune, it's gone," she placed her hand over his. "I'm okay."

She slowly sipped her coffee. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes," she answered, an everyone started screaming as the lights around them suddenly darkened. Looking up, she watched the entire street be plunged into darkness. "What's wrong?"

"EMP," Donnie answered, moving closer and brushing her hair from her face. "We need to leave."

Thalia stood and the ground shook, a mechanical whirring growing closer. Then, a mechanical bear stomped onto the street, its head sweeping across the crowd. "You didn't escape from the zoo, did you?"

"Very funny," it growled, eyes locking on the two of them. It lumbered towards them, the metal gleaming a dark brown. "Now who would believe that you are the world's greatest mind?"

"You clearly don't. Otherwise you'd know not to stand so close." The man looked at her and roared right as a small, unseen spark passed between them and the bear face lit up in sparks, making him stumble backwards and howl. The crowd broke apart, fleeing when he started swiping his heavy paws around, a handful of razor claws catching her and throwing her across the street.

She looked down at her front, which was lined with four deep gashes in her coat. A fifth one striped her right collarbone, blood oozing out of the sealing wound.

"A.I.M. is wanting to recruit you, you know," the man in the suit said. "Said your brain could be put to better use."

"Really? I'd want to work for people that have a mechanical Grizzly as a bodyguard? Send out invites to the Mecha Zoo Party?" She frowned, shakily rising to her feet. "No thank you."

Grizzly roared again, swiping at her with his claws. She rolled under the swinging paw, reaching for her staff. Snapping her fingers, it met her hand, and she gracefully twirled it around her head and hit the bear suit with the end, causing the suit to become encased in ice. While it jerked and sparked sporadically, she kept her staff aimed at Grizzly. "Get out of here!"

People began fleeing the street as Grizzly's icy prison began cracking, finally shattering and spraying ice crystals everywhere. Donnie remained, looking at her with panic in his eyes while she watched Grizzly refocus on her. "You are an awful lot of trouble," he growled. "I'm now starting to get why they said I'd need to suit up."

She shot a glance at Donnie, who slowly crept out from an alley behind Grizzly. "Because I know four ways to paralyze you with this?"

"Because I know that you have a weak spot."

"Yeah, for ruining my clothes," she replied caustically. "This coat was a gift from my fiancé, you jackass."

"So she's got claws, too. What doesn't she have?"

She lowered the staff a minuscule fraction of an inch. "Patience for your crap."

"And fast enough reflexes," he laughed, swinging his paw out again. Except she did something that truly horrified him: she took a step forward right as his claws came down.

Thankfully, Donnie was faster, touching the back of the suit and encasing it in thicker ice. Thalia still stood in front of him, the tips of Grizzly's claws grazing her throat. Streams of blood began dripping down her neck and she went statue still, the droplets gathering at the sharp edge of her collar when he smashed the claws off the hand that they were attached to. She turned to him, relief flooding her face. She became enveloped in his hug, whispering the words "Thank you" into his jacket.

"How bad is it?" he inquired quietly, tilting her jaw to the side to inspect the marks. Five ribbons of red streaked her neck, which rapidly oozed blood as they tried to close.

"Donnie, they saw you," she whispered again. "They saw you freeze that guy."

"So?"

"I need to erase that."

"Thalia, what about what that could do to you?"

"You froze a man in a bear suit!"

"Yeah, and your throat was cut by the man in the bear suit. Whose was worse?" He began leading her back to the car, checking her throat again and seeing the wounds heal. "Leave them be. It'll be easier to let them think that two strangers saved their lives than to try and make our appearance there disappear."

"That's not up to you." She pulled herself out of his grip. "I just healed from a fatal injury and you just possibly killed someone. I'm fixing this."

"Thalia, you nearly pass out trying to change one person's memories, and there was at least twenty. There's no way you're doing that."

"I can try!" she snapped, closing her eyes. When they did, it was like using sonar to find each person, implanting a fuzzy set of images in place of the memory of the fight. One after another...

"Thalia, stop!"

"He's alive," she mumbled. "He's sleeping."

"Grizzly?" Donnie spared a fleeting glance at the frozen suit. "Good for him."

"Done!" Her eyes snapped open and she stumbled forward, catching her staff and planting it firmly to the pavement in front of her, causing it to ice over. "Done. It's done."

"Good. Let's go." He led her to the car, being careful to get her inside. "We need to have a talk."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
As he was not speaking to her during the drive back home, she climbed out of the car when it pulled into the drive. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Specify what somethings you think you did wrong."

"God, really?" She scoffed. "You're being childish!"

"Am I?" He climbed out of the car, storming inside. "Am I being childish to assume that you'd rather hide than fight?"

"Yes, you are!" She ran to catch up to him, failing to do so. "You are also being ridiculous!"

Scoffing, he walked ahead of her and she tapped her staff on the ground, spreading ice to the floor under his feet. His foot slid and he grabbed hold of a pillar, steadying himself. "Explain to me how I'm being so ridiculous, when _I'm_ the one that preaches to you about not trying to go out there and get yourself killed. But you don't care! You're egging this guy on to the point where he ripped your throat out but you aren't wanting to see him harmed! Where's the sense in that?"

"The sense in that is I struck first! We were even!"

"This wasn't screwing around and it's not your OCD, this was you playing with your life and you don't even get it! You're not even caring that you could wind up dead in a ditch because then you'd just regenerate like a video game character and continue on!"

She clenched her fists and jaw. "Don't you dare talk about that so nonchalantly."

"Why? You do!"

"Because I try to make sense of this! Normal people don't just resurrect and continue with their lives!"

"No, normal people don't," he ground out. "Just like normal people don't toy with their lives so carelessly, either. Because they know they have _loved ones_ that _care_ about what happens to them!"

"I do care, but you don't pay enough attention to realize _I'm actively trying to avoid fighting!_ " They somehow wound up in their room. "I'm being so damn careful and cautious because I'm trying to not die! You interpreting me walking out there to get my throat torn out was me trying to buy time for you!" Donnie stilled, a confused frown on his face, but Thalia's anger had reached a peak. "Because he noticed you and had absolutely no problem cutting you down to get to me! So sorry when I was faced with the options of either self-preservation or putting you in a damn wooden box, I chose to save you instead of myself! So sorry that I love you so damn much that the thought of even living normally without you is honestly too painful to bear because that's how much I care!"

His face fell and he slowly approached her. "Thalia, I... I didn't know, I'm sorry."

She soon grew distraught, saying, "I'm so sorry for caring about someone enough to sacrifice myself for their safety! I'm sorry for wanting those I love to be protected from the things that have come my way thanks to my truly damn awful luck!" She sobbed softly. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened because of me."

"Thalia, please stop, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is; it's my fault that you panicked and ran, it's my fault you tripped and put me in a coma, it's my fault you got shot trying to protect me, it's all my fault!" She stopped pacing, saying, "I'm sorry."

"Thalia, stop apologizing."

"Why? It's my fault all this happened, shouldn't I at least show remorse for the actions I've caused?"

He stood a few steps below her so he remained eye level with her. "No. It wasn't your fault. Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault."

She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry for ruining your life."

He climbed the two steps separating them, pulling her forward. "Don't _ever_ think that," he urged her. "Nothing about my life is ruined because of you. Do you even know what I was doing before I met you? I was sinking to the bottom of the _ocean_. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that you have done that made my life worse. Nothing." His gaze flickered to the frost encrusted skin on her neck, a bright blue version of the ugly red gashes from earlier. Then he saw the blood spattering her shoulders and front, likely deducing that it now covered him as well. "Come on, a shower is in order."

"Is that a dig for me to join you? I do have space of my own, lune."

"Except two pints of me is in you and a few drops of you is in me. Space is overrated."

And he guided her gently to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. He unbuttoned her shredded coat, shrugging the plush fabric off her shoulders. He looked at the four long gashes that had marred her shirt, the tears fluttering and showing small glimpses of her stomach and bra. Reaching behind her neck, he unclasped her necklace, his hands brushing across her neck as he took it off and set it on the counter. She saw the similar bloodstain on his shirt that was on hers. "I'm sorry for getting blood on you," she frowned slightly.

A wry smile lit up his face and he pulled his shirt over his head. "Stop apologizing," he laughed, kissing her forehead and taking her shredded shirt off. "You're making me feel bad."

"Sorry."

He grunted softly, placing his hands on either side of her head and chuckling. "It's useless telling you what to do."

"You got that right," she smirked. Tying her hair up into a topknot, she returned to her normal height, slipping under his arm and shimmying out of her pants. "Warm or cold?"

"Warm. I can tell from your palish skin tone that it was quite nippy outside."  
~*~  
Pulling her wet hair over her shoulder, she rinsed the blood off her collarbone, watching it run in red rivulets down her naked body. The water continued running red as she stepped under the spray, coming from her hair, her shoulders, from under her fingernails. It all made her shudder involuntarily; why did fighting have to involve bloodshed?

Donnie came up behind her. He gently began to wash her hair, finger pads softly running along her scalp, along the sides of her head, behind her ears, and probing along the back of her neck. Turning her around, he then rinsed her hair under the spray, the suds a light pink. "You look tired."

"Something feels off," she said suddenly, looking up at him as she did. "It feels like something is missing."

He grabbed his loofah and the bottle of Ivory, scrubbing himself down as Thalia put conditioner in her hair, mirroring his movements. "What would that something be?"

Her features shaped into deep contemplation. "I feel like more could be done."

He chuckled softly. "Thalia," she looked up when he spoke, "I know what you're talking about, and frankly, I still stand on my philosophy of not wanting to push so much. You're... You," he brushed wet hair from her face. "And it isn't a bad thing."

"I'm me? How so?"

"What did Simmons call you back in August?"

"Demisexual?"

"Yes. It means that--"

"Mon lune, I know what being that entails. It means I'd need an emotional bond with my significant other, which we have."

"It means also feeling incredibly out of place with anything that's overly sexual."

"I'm perfectly fine."

"We are having a soliloquy over you feeling like something's off because we are not currently having sex in the _shower_. Tell me how you're perfectly fine again."

She remained quiet for a small portion of time. "There's nothing wrong with feeling out of place. It's just how you're wired."

"I just love how you suddenly became an expert in how demisexual brains work when you missed the fact that we still maintain a healthy sexual relationship."

"Many can. Some don't." He smirked. "And for the record, I can count on my two hands how often we've--"

"Just please stop talking," she laughed. "You're embarrassing me."

"I floor you with my extensive knowledge on how much I know about _you_?" He beamed proudly. "An accomplishment I will take to the grave."

She rinsed herself off, pushing him under the water. Grabbing her towel, she wrapped it around herself, squeezing the water from her hair. He came out not long after, his eyes set solely on her. "You know, staring is rude."

He laughed drily, standing behind her. "And you know, sarcasm is also rude," he added thoughtfully. She snorted softly, tucking the end of her towel in as he combed through her hair. Teasing tangles from her hair, he tugged on the wet strands gently.

Her soft moan made him smile as he continued to comb her hair, working each product in one by one while her eyes remained closed, her lips parted slightly. "I hope you realize how much effort I put into keeping your hair in such pristine condition."

"Mmhm," she answered softly. "Besides actually cutting it."

"I could do that."

She then chuckled, making him suddenly stiffen. "What?"

"I trust a stranger with my hair better than I trust you with my hair. And we're _engaged_."

He pouted playfully. "That hurts."

Sensing his thoughts, she replied, "For the record, hickeys don't last for six months until I have to get them removed. They're love marks that fade with time, my hair is a part of me that's not for you to touch."

"But I'm touching it now."

She reached for the lotion on the counter, beginning to work it into her arms and elbows. "Not like that."

"Then I might as well stop having sex with you because there's no way we're getting anything done without roughing up each other's hair. It's inevitable."

"So _I'm_ being punished because I don't want you cutting my hair? I have to give up amazing sex because I don't want an engineer cutting my hair?" She gaped at him incredulously. "That is absolute crap."

She left the bathroom, his teasing words on her tail. "Maybe, but you know I would _never_ deprive my fiancée of _such_ a necessity," he drawled, spinning her giggling form to face him. "That would be completely cruel."

He backed her up slowly until she touched the wall. "Not unlike doing other more nefarious things that made one wish it would just be over with instead of drawn out like so," he made her gasp as his frigid fingertips brushed her bare inner thigh, her breath shuddering slightly as they teased their way higher and higher until she clamped her hand down on his, her dark eyes flashing a sign of warning.

"You're playing a pretty dangerous game."

"You're playing a pretty slow game," he fired back in quiet response, drawing his hand out from under hers and just barely skimming her. She inhaled sharply in reply, her breath beginning to steam. He looked down at her, blue meeting dark brown (and blue) and immediately feeling the tension between them, the air practically vibrating.

"You need to..." He swallowed thickly, "You need to get dressed. So you don't get sick."

"Well, I would," she shot derisively (thus dissolving the palpable tension between them), "except someone has me pinned to the wall. Naked. Without any way to get to the dresser. So," she made pointed gestures to the piece of furniture behind him. "If you would excuse me."

Pushing away from the wall, she impatiently made her way to the dresser, pulling random things from the drawers. He absently toyed with the ties of his sweatpants while she dressed herself. She approached him, her face no longer set in an annoyed scowl. "Sorry. I'm just a little snappish. Haven't taken my medicine yet."

"Lincoln said that he thinks he wants you to try being off your Convulex for a week. See if his Inhuman methods of medicine could try and remedy your seizures."

"Mon lune, it's making me have awful headaches," she whimpered. He then produced a bottle of ibuprofen and a water bottle from the nightstand, watching her take the medicine gratefully. She sighed softly, leaning on him. "Bed me, love of mine."

He picked her up, carrying her to bed. Lying down next to her, he closed his eyes, sighing softly. "Please be careful next time you want to stop fights."

She let out a soft laugh. "You know I can't promise you that."

A sly smile lit up his face. "Is that so?"

Rolling her eyes, she said, "I amend my statement. I will try. Personally, I think you get kinda turned on at the sight of your badass fiancée covered in the victories of battle."

"Yes, she who fought a man in a bear suit and won, whilst being covered in blood and sweat." He chuckled, rolling Thalia on top of him. "To then come home and wash it all off while her fiancé watches in awe. And he notes how utterly gorgeous she is," he tucked her hair behind her ears. "How her hair curls in the humidity, her soft yet strong jawline, her beautiful, creamy skin and those gorgeous brown and blue speckled eyes." He flashed a toothy grin when Thalia's cheeks flushed. "He watches in awe as his fiancée is unearthed by simply getting clean."

Thalia smiled softly, her eyes slowly drifting closed as she fell asleep, her head of slightly damp and curly hair resting on his chest.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Waking up from accidentally dozing off, Donnie brushed Thalia's dried mane of curls aside, seeing her just begin to wake up. She fluttered her dark eyelashes a few times, adjusting to the light while exploring the region of the bed and his chest. "Hey, sleepyhead," he replied wearily, and she looked up at him briefly before yawning, pulling herself up and setting her head next to his, reaching forward and teasingly scraping her teeth against his earlobe. A sharp jolt of desire ran through him, making goosebumps prickle along his skin (and make his blood pump, touching upon places that certainly got him waking up faster). "What's got you in such a frisky mood?"

She shrugged, scattering the curls. "Will you do yoga with me?"

"Why would I want to put myself in compromising positions for the sake of getting in good shape?"

"So you can see how flexible I am," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, jumping out of bed and running down the hall. He followed after her, entering a large room with hardwood floors. In the short time they'd been separated, Thalia had managed to change into different clothes, unrolling a yoga mat. "So that's what you're wearing?"

"So how does this work again?"

"You do as I do," she pointed to the mat, and he obediently stood on the mat. She pressed her foot to the inside of her thigh, then tilting sideways and lifting her foot into the air. He watched with a look of horror and fascination at both of her legs straightening.

"Thalia, believe me when I say that is absolutely fascinating, but if I try that, not only are we not going to be doing anything fun, I will not be able to stand."

"It's just a testament to how much yoga will do for you," she answered softly, straightening herself.

"No, that's a testament to what happens when you're trained by Russian ballerinas." Cracking his knuckles, he smiled. "What's first?"

"Pipe stretch," she announced, sitting on the floor. "Toes pointed, try to touch them by bending forward and wrapping your hands around your feet."

Trying to mimic her position, he grunted softly at the effort it took and she laughed. "Not a word," he growled, trying again to reach his toes.

"Well, I figured you can bend over a worktable for hours, this shouldn't be too much of a stretch for you to make."

He looked up at her. The murderous look in his eyes should've made her flinch, but instead, she laughed, still in her position. Suddenly gaining balance, he lunged at her, except she somehow anticipated his move and instead skillfully rolled away, watching him nearly face plant into the floor. "Tut tut, you know better."

He pushed himself up off the floor. "I do."

"Yet you did that," Thalia nodded her head at his being on the floor. "I thought you were smarter than that." Quickly getting back on his feet, he put his fists up in front of himself and she laughed. "You want to spar? Let's spar."

"One good thing I did learn from my time in Hydra is I now know how to fight."

Thalia laughed again, putting her fists up in front of her. "Could you actually beat Harry now?"

Steam shot out of his nose, and she laughed. "Donnie, you know I'm teasing," she got out before catching one of his punches, twirling his hand around until he hit himself in the face. He looked stunned for a second while she gracefully did a back handspring, putting distance between the two of them. He narrowed his eyes.

"I know you were teasing. That's still not something you should say to motivate me to do things. Like you earlier with the whole--"

"Oh," she stood still. "I'm sorry. Line crossed, won't happen again."

"Still," Donnie approached her, "to answer your question, I could beat Harry now. And you," he reached down and swept her feet out from underneath her. She flipped back onto her hands, launching herself up and wrapping her legs around him, using the momentum to flip him onto the floor, landing in a crouch.

"Not yet," she laughed, offering him her hand. "Still have to go through being trained by the Russian ballerina," she added when he took her hand, letting out a sharp yelp when he yanked her down to the floor, rolling on top of her.

"And listen to when you beat the crap out of those personal trainers your dad keeps getting." Donnie reached to brush stray curls from her face. "Speaking of beating the crap out of people," he squared his gaze with hers, "you need to promise you'll be more careful."

Her tone became soft. "You know I will."

"Then you do realize that I'm going to have to make sure _every_ part of you is willing to try."

"Go ahead." She smiled smugly. "I already said I was willing."

His hand came to rest against her thigh, his thumb pressing into the inside of her knee. Sliding her legs out from underneath him, she pushed them up into triangles, letting him rest comfortably on top of her. He took her hands, lining them up with his own; her slender, fair fingers against his pale ones. "Here?"

"Yes." She hummed slightly when he kissed her hand, moving up to her forearm and asking the same question. The same answer, followed by a brief kiss to the area; the routine continued while she found herself slowly succumbing to his certain ability of taking her mind away. Uncharacteristically giggling when she felt his lips begin to steadily press south of her collarbone, she cracked open an eye, asking, "What are you up to?"

"Trying to haphazardly seduce you on this yoga room floor," he answered seriously.

"And how's that going for you?"

"So far, so good," he replied with a cheeky grin. She laughed wholeheartedly, making him join in and kiss her on the mouth. He just as quickly broke the kiss, beginning to kiss down her neck again while her fingers ruffled his hair. When he brushed his lips against her throat, she gasped softly.

"Donnie, be careful," she panted. "When the skin heals, it--"

"Grows back new nerve endings, I know," he answered knowingly. He thumbed over the new skin, gently kissing it and making her shiver. "I have something to ask of you."

"And that would be?"

"Well, I've never actually done it before, so it _would_ require some constructive feedback and criticism."

"Is that so?" She tilted his chin up so they made eye contact, briefly searching his face before saying, "Well, then regale me on what this mystery activity is."

"Are you sure, lovely fiancée of mine?" he asked in all seriousness.

She raised an eyebrow, a mysterious smile gracing her face. "Wordplay isn't the only form of foreplay there is among scientists, is there?" A stunned expression crossed his face. "Because if it is, now I understand why we're a dying breed of people."

His stunned face soon became one of playfulness as he boldly asked, "Then I reiterate: would you rather be in here or in our room when I go down on you?"

"My, we're feeling brave today," she laughed. "I'm gonna let you pick. This was your idea, after all."

"Just coming out of my shell. Thanks to you."

"No shell," she replied, smiling softly and running her fingertips along his cheek. "Just a different side of you. One that only I get to see; the clever, witty, snarky, ranting motor engine side of you."

He remained motionless above her, then abruptly came down and kissed her ardently, caving to her affectionate, sweeping touches combined with his cupping her face. She laughed, making him laugh once again when there was a knock at the door.

"Miss Quinn, you have a visitor."

"I'll be there in a minute," she answered. When the guard left the door, she looked at Donnie and sheepishly smiled, saying, "Rain check?"

He sighed. "Later, then."  
~*~  
Padding into the living room, she looked at the back of a man's head. He stood, fixing his jacket and facing her. "You're Thalia?"

"Yes sir. Is there a problem?"

"Your conduct towards my son," the man spat. "He brought your outrageous behavior to my attention, and I came to confront you about it."

"I was defending my loved ones, Mister Foxworth," she exclaimed. "He was being very callous to my father and fiancé. And when I confronted him about it, he called me a whore!"

"That's not what he said."

"Of course it's not what he said," she spat. "He wants a man to fight his battles for him because he's a child! He can't take the mean words somebody else says so he goes home crying wolf and hopes you'll shoot me down!"

"You will talk to me with respect."

"The hell I will," she sneered, curling her lip in disgust. "You came into _my_ home demanding that I _apologize_ for putting a pin in your son's fragile ego? You're out of your damn mind."

Donnie entered the room right as she felt a sharp sting in her cheek, and it took a few seconds before she realized that her visitor had actually _slapped_ her.

"Thalia!" He bent down to help her stand, and she also assimilated that the force of the visitor's hit actually knocked her off balance, as well. Immediately, she felt sharp points of anger radiating through her body, and she stood, feeling electricity sparking between her fingers and a savage cold wind blowing around her. To her visitor's surprise, she transformed in front of his eyes, standing to her menacing yet petite height and pinning him with a freezing stare.

"Don't you dare make this my fault. I have enough problems with people blaming me for all the god awful things my father has done, I certainly don't need you blaming me for your son's hurt feelings. He is a chauvinistic pig with no respect for women and likes to mock people for his own gain. If I didn't put a pin in his over-inflated head, someone else would've. So you should be thankful that I was gracious enough with my wording of his behaviors. Many others wouldn't."

"Y-you're..." Mister Foxworth stuttered, "You're one of them!"

She stood and watched as he tried racing to his briefcase. Holding out her hand, her staff came to it and she tapped it on the floor, encasing his feet in ice. Padding across the now freezing marble with bare feet, she picked up his briefcase. "You are going to walk out of this house, go home, and never come back. If I see so much as hide or hair of you near my loved ones again, I will turn you into an ice sculpture for the county fair. Do we understand each other?"

"I'll go and tell everyone about you."

"Go ahead. I'm not sure how many people would believe you got your ass kicked by a tiny little nineteen year old with superpowers, especially when you broke into her house, one that harbors hallucinogenic chemicals and drugs used for experimentation."

"Are you suggesting that I'd be crazy?"

"No, nothing like that," she assured him, patting his arm and offering a sad smile. "You'd _sound_ crazy. Them they'd lock you up or ignore you and _then_ you'd go crazy, what with your need to constantly be the center of attention." She sighed. "And while the tactic is no doubt Machiavellian in nature, at least I'm destroying your reputation and not you." She shoved the briefcase into his hands. "Now get out."

Mister Foxworth practically ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him. "That," Donnie paused, causing her to turn, "was amazing." He cupped her face, her skin now the same temperature as his. "There aren't any other words for it."

When color flooded her skin, he felt her grow warmer under his hands. "Truthfully, it scared me."

"It's okay," he wrapped his arms around her. Ian then entered the living room, looking a Donnie whispering sweet nothings into Thalia's ear, with the floor around them covered in ice.

"I'm not gonna ask, just clean it up. We're going out for dinner."

Thalia turned to face him, and he immediately held her face, looking at the red handprint that marred her left cheek. "What happened?" Ian asked, glaring daggers at Donnie.

Thalia's lip wobbled. "Harry's dad came by and tried making me apologize for calling his son out at the factory tour. And when I refused, he hit me."

"Honey..." Ian looked at the weal on her cheek. "I'm sorry," he said softly, kissing her cheek gently. "There. All better."

She giggled softly, unfreezing the floor. Slowly, the mark faded, and Ian's head perked up at the sound of a stalling engine. "I'll be back," he trailed off. "Make sure she's okay."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Donnie, get up!"

"Mm..." He opened his eyes to Thalia's done up form, her arms crossed over her chest. "What is it?"

"My doctor's appointment is today!"

He bolted out of bed. "That was today?!"

"Yes!" She swiped his phone off the nightstand turning it on and turning the screen towards him. "'January fifth, Thalia's gynecologist appt. at 10;00 a.m. Wake up early.'!"

He was soon in a pair of shoes, ushering her to the door. Getting her things in the car, he quickly got her in the car, climbing in to the other side and starting the car. "I'm sorry, I was tired," he offered as an apology, backing the car out of the drive and beginning the drive to the doctor's office.

"I honestly forgot that was this morning."

"I forgive you," she answered softly.

"So why do you have an overnight bag with you to go to the gynecologist?"

"It's got clothes and my shower stuff, in case I need to clean up afterwards."

"In what scenario would you need to _shower_ because you are covered in bodily fluids of that sort?"

"The one where they have to remove the obstruction that prevented them from taking an endometrial biopsy at the hospital two months ago." She patted his arm as she climbed out of the car. "So don't wait up for me."  
~*~  
Sifting through paperwork on her desk, Simmons searched for her buzzing phone, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Agent Simmons?"

"Thalia, how lovely to hear from you!" She smiled. "I've been meaning to call you. What can I help you with?"

"Can you read through Anna's medical file and look for something for me?"

"Sure. What is it that you're looking for in particular?"

"Well I'm about to be put under, so could you look for any sustained injuries that could have possibly caused a uterine perforation?"

"Sure," Jemma opened Anna's file on her station computer, beginning to leaf through its contents. "Why such a specific outcome?"

"Because thanks to the wonderful marvels of today's medical breakthroughs, the doctors and I have concluded that a possible method of my infertility could be due to a blockage of tissue that has managed to cover my cervix."

"Well, that's certainly unusual." She typed in a few keywords, leafing through the various results. "This may take a while to sort through, do you want me to call you when I find anything?"

"Miss Quinn, I need to begin the procedure now," a woman informed her.

"Yeah, just call me if you find anything particularly interesting. Thank you, Miss Simmons."

Hanging up the phone, Jemma read through various reports, looking for anything to catch her eye. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

"Bloody hell!" Jemma jumped from her seat, spinning to see Daisy. "You gave me quite a fright." When Daisy leaned to look at her computer, Jemma turned the screen off.

"What's up?"

"Thalia asked me to do a spot of research on Anna's file while she's undergoing a modified hysteroscopy."

"Maybe I can help," she offered. "I pretty much sewed together Anna's file from stuff I found around the old servers. It's the closest I've gotten to actually sewing without stabbing my fingers with a needle."

"Is there any way you could narrow the field down? Thalia asked me if there's any way that Anna sustained an injury that caused a uterine perforation."

"The uterus is _way_ back there. She would have to been gutted by something long if it caused a perforation."

"Or she could've been using an IUD. It might've been expelled and caused one."

"That's some dark stuff she's getting into. She may not like where it leads."

"Why so?"

"I've been through Anna's medical history, and it is really, _really_ screwed up. They took blood samples, muscle tissue samples, even tried taking bone tissue and marrow but they couldn't scratch her so they tried using a _diamond-vibranium alloy drill bit_ and still couldn't get anything." She shuffled her feet. "They tried using those samples to help their soldiers heal faster and become practically invulnerable. One hybrid like her is hard enough to handle, but _hundreds_ of them?" Daisy shuddered. "Let's be thankful they weren't successful in their experiments."

"So you can do it?"

Daisy cracked her knuckles. "I can write programs in my sleep."  
~*~  
"Now she will be in some pain for a while," the nurse told him. "It was quite difficult to remove the blockage and it will cause some spotting for a few hours."

Donnie's eyebrows went about as high as they could go. "But she'll be okay, right?"

"Prognosis is that she will heal from this quite nicely. She's due to come back in February so we can do a checkup and see how everything's doing."

"Is there anything to do or not do when we get home?"

"Refrain from sexual intercourse for a 48 hour period. As I said before, she will be in a considerable amount of pain. She has my number and has orders to call me if anything strange pops up."

Thalia emerged from the room, tugging one of his hoodies closer around herself. "Hi," she yawned, burying her face into his shirt. Kissing her forehead, he led her to the car, helping her get inside.

"How do you feel?"

"Truthfully?" Thalia asked sarcastically, and Donnie nodded in response. "Somehow my whole vagina hurts. Can we just go home now?"

As he climbed into the driver's seat, Thalia turned onto her side. "I'm literally so sore I feel that it would help if it was physically possible to screw a Popsicle," she muttered aloud, pressing her legs together. Donnie pursed his lips, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

"Did they give you something?"

"Apparently what they gave me they didn't give me enough of," she mumbled. The drive continued in silence, with her dozing off and oblivious to the world around her. Pulling into the drive, he retrieved her things from the backseat, carrying them inside with Thalia behind him.

"Go lay down with your heating pad," Donnie told her, and she complied without complaining, rubbing her hips and stomach with unease. After she laid down on the couch with her heating pad, she struggled to find a comfortable position, whining in distress at the inability to do so. "Lia, just pick a position, the pain medicine is gonna kick in sometime."

"Donald Vincent Gill, don't tell me what to do!" Thalia snarled. "I'm in an untold amount of pain and on top of it, I'm somehow pissed off, horny and hungry all at the same time. Just let me work on my own methods for once!"

He stepped back, stunned at her harsh words. But then he realized that she _was_ in unmeasurable amounts of pain, and was probably trying to not move so much so she wouldn't hurt as much. Trying to work it out on her own like she was trying to do; until he realized that when he tried to do the same thing, she would scold him, saying that they were a team and that his problems were hers as well.

Sitting behind her, he deposited her petite body into his lap. She let out a surprised sound at the sudden movement, followed by a startled gasp when his cold hands pressed against her back, rubbing the backs of her hips in circles with his thumbs. "I'm sorry," the words tumbled from her lips as she whined softly. "I was out of-- oh!" She arched her back away from the tender spot he hit. "Line! I was out of line!"

"And while that's no doubt true," he eased her back down into a normal sitting position, "you do know that I am here to help you. After all, that ring on your finger means we're stuck together until the end of time."

She agreed silently. "That feels nice," she murmured, lying down on him. "Makes it not hurt as much."

"What did they do?"

"Scraped the tissue out," she answered quietly. "Sounds more painful than it actually was." She sighed in content. "The medicine is finally kicking in."

"Then sleep. You'll feel better."  
~*~  
"Still not getting anything off that program?" Daisy watched as the same 'Results Not Found' flashed onscreen. "Well, then maybe there wasn't anything that happened to Anna after all. She could've been born with it."

"I don't think so. It doesn't feel right."

"You wouldn't be a scientist if you _didn't_ think that there was more to it." Daisy crossed her arms. "Why not try looking outside her file? Maybe there's something out there with her name on it that we haven't found yet."

"Or maybe not her name at all," Jemma mused quietly. "Did Anna use any aliases?"

"No," Daisy tapped a few keys on her keyboard. "But one name did keep coming up: Emma Massett. I could check through different medical databases, see if that name pops up."

"Good idea." Jemma chewed on her lip. "I feel like we're close."

"We are," Daisy nodded. "So let me tweak the program a bit and we'll get back to work."  
~*~  
"Feel better?"

"Hmm?" She felt cold hands rub her hips, relieving the aching pain that plagued her since...when again? "What's the date?" She asked groggily.

"Still the fifth, Sleeping Beauty," Donnie answered with a chuckle. "I think they gave you plenty of painkillers."

Thalia groaned happily. "What do you mean?"

"You were talking earlier, saying that you were so sore, you felt it would help if you could, and I quote, 'screw a Popsicle'."

"Oh my God, mon lune, I'm so sorry," she blushed furiously. She turned her head to the side, glimpsing his amused face. "I must've been _so_ out of it."

"Quite so, Khione," Donnie sighed. "Lucky you that it was me who drove you home. Would've been _quite_ embarrassing if anyone else had heard your drug induced tirade."

"Thank you." She pecked him on the lips sideways, settling in closer to him. "Were you asleep?"

"You know, it's hard to when your fiancée gropes you in her sleep."

"This is going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"

"Yep. Moaning my name in your sleep, the whole 'drugged up Thalia' bit. It was kind of cute." He pressed an open mouthed kiss to the back of her neck. "For a while, anyway. You are a lightweight with narcotics."

She grinned sheepishly. "What can I say?"

"In your drug induced state, apparently nothing but my name."

She smacked him in the thigh. "Surely you have better things to do than poking fun at your fiancée?"

"Fondling her and kissing her neck? Now _that_ I'll do." He kissed the back of her neck again. "Because the nurse said no sex for forty-eight hours."

She laughed sardonically, fading to a soft sigh when he nuzzled the junction of her neck and shoulder. "I do however mentioning earlier that I was hungry?"

"You also mentioned being horny and extremely pissed off, so I figured that food could wait," he chuckled again, a deep, throaty sound she found oddly soothing. "But there should be some leftover meatless lasagna from last night."

"Heat some up for me, would you lune?"

"Should my love require it." He kissed the junction of her neck and shoulder again before moving out from underneath her, heading to the kitchen. When he was completely out of the room, her phone began vibrating. It floated to her hand, where she pressed the green button and sleepily asked, "Hello?"

"Thalia, how are you?"

"Hazy on painkillers, Miss Simmons," she giggled softly. She heard an exasperated "Good God" in the background. "So what can I do for you?"

"I was asked to call you if anything pertaining to a specific request came up?"

"Oh," she sat up, clearing her head of the fog that settled in her brain. "Did you find anything?"

"Actually, no. Her file is as clean as it can be. Proverbially speaking, anyways. Seems that it might just be something that you've had but have never really noticed until today. In some rare cases, there are women who report having entire masses of endometrium tissue that have been shed and get stuck leaving the uterus. And with your oligomenorrhea, an abnormally sized blood clot could have gotten stuck and is slowly being chipped away at during each menstrual cycle."

"That can actually happen?"

"Well it's observed more in women that suffer dysmenorrhea, but yes. They can suffer intense cramping before passing blood clots that can be up to the size of a baseball."

Thalia gasped, pressing a hand to her stomach. "God, that must hurt!"

"It does. Well, I must go, but know that you are free to call me at anytime."

Hanging up the phone, she looked up as Donnie brought her a plate of warmed up lasagna, forks in hand. "Who was that?"

"Agent Simmons." She gave him a once over, her eyes lighting up when she saw what he held in his hands. "Ooh, food!"

He sat down, rolling his eyes in mock exasperation. "Here," he smiled, handing her the plate. As she dug into it enthusiastically, he dragged her back into his lap, brushing his nose against the skin under her right ear then reaching up to take the edge of her earlobe between his teeth.

"Mm," she giggled softly. Swallowing the bite of food she had, she asked, "Do you want a bite?"

"Well it wasn't my first choice, but sure," he answered cheekily, taking the bite she offered him. Setting her plate down on the coffee table, she turned around, her eyebrow set in its familiar position of non-amusement.

"Donnie." Her gaze was unwavering as a small, teasing smile crossed her face. "No. I'm tired. I literally had something that would closely resemble an ice pick put up inside of me today and I've no stomach for anything of that nature."

He quickly cleaned up their mess, returning and taking her arm. "Come on then, Khione. Time for bed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	33. Outlanders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey Tiff! I finally got time (and no nosy parent monitoring my internet activity at the boyfriend's) to put this up. I hope you like it!

However it came to be, he would always reiterate the same point. Over and over again, until the day he would die. Because repetition, as he had come to find out, helped him keep it fresh in his mind.

He was lucky to have her.

And times like this he would remind himself. Like when he woke up, Thalia was asleep, wearing a tank top, her dark hair spread out around her, looking almost transcendent in the sunlight as it washed over her. And she was curled up in a... Tartan?

Granted, it was gorgeous, with red, blue, yellow and green checks and intersecting lines, but the thought that crossed his mind was _Where did it come from?_

Yet somehow at the same time, he had the strangest picture: Thalia's fair, creamy skin making the pattern stand out, the picture more...sensual at the thought of her being wrapped in it, to his surprise there being nothing underneath...

"Wow. That's what you do with your spare time in the morning? Imagine me naked?"

"Jesus Christ, Thalia," he exclaimed. Looking down at her, she was now sprawled out on the tartan, the straps of her tank top being ornery as they slipped off her shoulders. "A little warning next time?"

"Well I mean, it's not like you see me naked at least once a day," she continued on. "But I am now curious as to how alluring I'd be naked while wrapped in your family's tartan. Surely you find it attractive."

"Wait a minute," he shook his head to clear the sleep from it. " _My_ family's tartan?"

"Yeah?" Thalia looked up, a flirty smile on her face. "Unless you're suddenly no longer Scottish." When his confused frown didn't shake, she said, "I did some research and found that your name was shortened; it used to be MacGill until maybe two hundred years ago? Your mom then..."

"Slow down, Lia. When did you get the time to do all that? And when did you talk to my mom?"

"I told her I wanted to know about your family, and she helped me out and gave me this." She held herself up on her hands. "It is pretty."

"My mother had this?"

"Said it was passed down to her, so on and so on. And now, it's yours."

"Well, you are right. It is beautiful," he ran a hand over the woolly fabric. "Although that could just be you rubbing off on it."

He laid down on top of her. "Oh and by the way," she said abruptly, her face splitting into a beaming smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he murmured, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Are you gonna go sit in the bathtub today?"

"Probably," she winced softly. "Everything's still really sore."

"Oh," he climbed off of her, getting out of bed as he pulled her into his arms. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Didn't really feel anything anyways."

"Now that's just mean," he laughed, throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed, laughing as he carried her into the bathroom. "Because if I do remember correctly, I'm not the one that's constantly--"

"What? Constantly what? You can't say a damn thing because you do the exact same!" She laughed. "So don't go giving me the whole spiel when you're the same." She squeaked at the air fluttering through her hair. "Put me down!"

"I'm taking you to the bathroom, wifey. Chill your jets."

"No, my boobs are falling out of my shirt!"

"And?"

"No bra, genius! Unless you suddenly became cool with everyone seeing all those strange marks that look like hands and teeth..." The world spun rapidly before her back met the wall. "Oof!"

Reorienting herself, he had her pinned to the wall, examining her. "Liar," he smiled.

"Well, I know that. I didn't exactly appreciate my boobs free falling out of my shirt."

He still snickered. Taking her face in his hands, he brought his lips down on hers, stilling her. "Now get in there," he playfully nudged her towards the door. "You'll make me late."

"On this gorgeous tenth of January? You don't work on the weekends, lune."

After doing the math, he growled softly. "You're driving me insane."

"That's my job," she smiled. "And don't call me 'wifey'." She smacked his arm, making him stumble a few steps backwards. "Unless you want to make that official."

"Just give me the time and date, Lia. I'm ready to go." He held out his arms in a cross gesture, giving off an 'accepting all comers' vibe. She stepped forward, a devilish smirk on her face when her features went slack, the color leaving her face. "No, no, no, no," he ran forward, catching her just as her knees buckled, a warm spot spreading across his shirt as blood began gushing from her nose. "Siri, call Lincoln!"

"Calling Lincoln..." The automated woman said in response, a loud dialing tone being made. The line picked up.

"Thalia?"

"Lincoln, she's having a seizure!" Donnie tilted her head forward when she started making an odd gurgling noise in her throat. Before he spoke again, Lincoln interjected, asking, "Okay, what is she doing? Is she experiencing convulsions, you have to help me out here!"

"She's choking on blood! There's so much of it this time..."

"'This time'? I'm on my way, keep her upright! Five minutes, tops!" The line went dead, and he pressed his back against the wall, shifting her into his side. He sat there, waiting for the time to pass until he heard a pair of running feet and looked up, meeting Lincoln's frightened gaze. "I've never seen anything like it," he breathed. "Wha--How?"

She sputtered softly before making a quiet groan, moving weakly to try and stand. "No Thalia," Lincoln stopped her from moving. "Do you remember what happened?"

She touched a few fingertips to the sticky blood that oozed from her nose. "I had another seizure?"

"I was worried this might happen," he muttered softly. "I expected that with how volatile your gifts can be, coming off a medicine that limited the electrical flow and current in your brain would cause seizures, but I never expected this."

Donnie looked at Lincoln. "Expected what?"

"Her brain is letting loose all this contained electricity at the same time, which synchronizes her brain waves and causes her seizures, but it's in such quick and hard succession that the electricity is rupturing blood vessels in her brain." Lincoln then added, "They heal, I'm suspecting within a few minutes when it comes to her, but it's still very unusual."

"Is it over?"

"This one, yes, but I'm going to stay here today and monitor her. Something tells me this won't be the last one."

"Let's get cleaned up," Donnie stood, helping Thalia up. She exhaled softly, swaying slightly on her feet and he simply scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the bathroom. Setting her down on the counter, he shut the door, then began peeling her tank top off. "That was quite the episode."

"Sorry. I thought those were over by now."

"I think you're suffering withdrawals from your Convulex."

She frowned. "No, what gave you that assumption?"

"So you're feeling good enough to be sarcastic." He grabbed a wet washrag, wringing it out before saying, "I need to clean you off. Do you mind if I..."

"No," she shook her head, tying her hair up. He began wiping down her shoulders and neck, rinsing the rag and gently dabbing her face with a corner. "Has it stopped?"

"Yeah. Just cleaning your nose, then your chest and we'll be done." Rinsing the rag again, he then began wiping down her sternum, cleaning the bloodied outline of her shirt from the skin before he cautiously began to work down her torso.

Each movement was carefully made, running the rag down her chest in short strokes. Even with their degree of closeness now, it still brought about a nervous fluttering in his stomach; damn Thalia and her capacity to be blissfully numb in situations like this. "You can touch me, you know," she said softly, making his eyes meet hers. She took his hand, using it to cup her breast. "I'm not some delicate little doll. I won't disintegrate under your touch."

He nodded imperceptibly, returning to the task at hand. His finger pads pressed into the warm skin, feeling her ribs and quick heartbeat as he cleaned in quicker movements. "It's not being blissfully numb so much as me realizing that I do need to get cleaned off." He raised an eyebrow at her, but otherwise continued.

"Poking around in my head again, are you?"

"You're a loud thinker. No need to."

Switching the rag to his opposite hand, he cupped her other breast, cleaning her off. "I just feel the need to be gentle when it comes to..." He blurted suddenly. "You're just so demure, I'm kinda confused when you're so brazen about it."

"Donald Vincent Gill, let's clarify something here," she commanded his attention with the sentence. "I've seen them. You've seen them. We are engaged, and we've seen each other naked. What does that tell you?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"It tells you that I am comfortable with you to the point where I'm not shy about it. I'm a girl, I have boobs, end of discussion. You're going to see them, whether it's because we shower together or we have sex or when I'm not wearing a bra. They're there, no need to be a wuss." Now being fully clean, she pulled his shirt off, tossing it in the sink. Turning her back to him, she ran cold water into the sink, plugging it up. "There. Have to let those sit for a while."

"Are you still going to get in the bath?"

"Are you asking to join me?" She picked up a bottle of peppermint bath oil, adding it to the steaming water. "It's a little on the hot side."

"I'll be okay."

Stripping down, she tied her hair up, sinking into the aromatic water. Inching his way into the water, he let out a sharp exhale. "It'll take a bit, get your bearings."

"I'm fine." He pulled her close, the water sloshing up towards the rim of the tub. "Just stings a bit."

She cupped some bathwater into her hand, gently washing it over his shoulders and rinsing the blood away. "So earlier," she picked up, absently tracing her fingertips across his chest. "Were you serious about the whole time and date thing?"

"Absolutely."

"Because I may have them in mind."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"Well... I had them in mind before the whole..."

"Oh. It's okay." He cupped her face, and she leaned forward, where he kissed her forehead.

"I do still remember," she whispered.

"When is it?"

She smiled secretively. "It's a secret."

"Then maybe I'll have to torture it out of you," he answered suggestively.

"I know my way around torture pretty well by now, mon lune."

"Then I guess I'll need to be creative, won't I?"  
~*~  
"He said they'd be back in a while," Lincoln looked up from his bag. "So let me put this here," he pressed a stethoscope to her chest. "You said your heart rate is 120 bpm, right? Then after a seizure, have you noted feelings of faintness to an increased rate?"

"How?"

"Well, I suspect your seizures jumpstart all bodily outputs. Breathing, heartbeat, et cetera." He listened closely, jotting down numbers on a notepad. "Breathing's increased. Let me check your pulse."

Offering him her wrist, he measured her pulse, then jotted it down. "How about convulsions?"

"Non." She looked at him. "Could it be because the release of all that electricity robs me of movement? Electrical impulses control movement of muscles, so perhaps when I have seizures, I go slack because of a temporary state of paralysis?"

"Or maybe because you lose consciousness when it happens?" Lincoln shrugged. "I wouldn't know until you had another one."

"And I would pray that I don't experience another one."

He stood. "Well, my suspicions are somewhat sated. Do you want to have another treatment while I'm here? I have all the stuff I need."

"Sure." She followed him to the dining room. "Where?"

"Let's try torso again. Not everything was cleared in the first session. It worked on Daisy, but she was out for two days."

Thalia winced. "Please don't...talk about her."

"Why?"

"I'd rather not hear of how other people think she's this angel when I know for certain she isn't." She laid down on the table. "I'm ready."

Lincoln set his face in a grim expression, beginning to set the acupuncture needles into her stomach and ribs. "What did she do to you?"

She closed her eyes, exhaling heavily as the needles began glowing red. "She tried to kill me."  
~*~  
Standing at her front door again, Daisy opened and closed her hand, sending vibrations to bounce against the dark wood. Lincoln opened the door, a stony look on his face. "I got your call--"

"You tried killing her?" Lincoln asked incredulously. "That's why she's so scared of us, why Donnie is so apprehensive of us, because you looked her straight in the face and shot her, leaving her to die?"

"Lincoln--"

"Do you not remember all that happened in Afterlife? All that chaos and death because your mother killed an innocent person in cold blood?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Lincoln, I tried to say I was sorry, but she's so scared of me and I can't even set foot on the property without it getting incredibly cold or ice spikes covering the porch and front door."

"Well maybe that's for a good reason." He stood to the side. "She wants to talk to you. Said she would only do it if I was there to mediate."

Daisy took a few steps over the threshold when her breath steamed. "She knows I'm here."

"Active electroreception. She can tell different animate objects apart doing this." He led her through the house towards the dining room, where Thalia remained hovering above the table, her eyes closed and the air humming. "She's here."

_I knew. I could hear her thoughts._

"I can hear her."

"She's going to be communicating with you this way. You can talk back and she'll hear you, but she can't talk back physically."

_No, really?_

"Thalia."

_I'm aware my name is Thalia, much like I know your name is Daisy. Tell me something I don't know._

"I really wasn't in control."

_Is that so? Is that why even now, after the deed is done, I can still feel your absolute hatred of the man that happened to be my father? You but two bullets in his own little "pet project" and still didn't feel satisfied? Made her feel every ounce of fear, pain and helplessness that you did, dying in someone's basement while you prayed and hoped for someone to find you? Hoping that somehow trying to kill me would sate your need to see him suffer but it still wasn't enough._

"Thalia, please."

_Please what? Please spare you the mental torment of knowing that you tried to murder two innocent people? Maybe the cosmos are giving you some of the sweetest irony; the two people you tried to kill are going to be married soon and their love stemmed from the general distrust of shifty government run agencies... Truly tormenting indeed._

"You tried to kill Donnie too?"

"Hydra had him, we..." Daisy paused, "I was given the order to cross him off if we couldn't get him back." Her gaze fell to the floor. "I haven't exactly slept well since then."

"Well, I would expect not," Lincoln spat. "I hate to say this, but I can actually understand where she's coming from."

"Thalia, I'm sorry."

_Don't you just love sorry? How on one hand it can be a diplomatic bandaid while on the other hand, it can be emptier than a Winchester's bed?_

"So it's time for jokes now?"

 _If I remember, you're in_ my _house, talking to_ my _unconscious self. I can do whatever I please. Speaking of which, I thought you thought you came alone._

"I did."

_Then who's the person that was hiding behind your car?_

"Lincoln, take Thalia someplace safe." Daisy smacked his arm. "Now."

"She can't move until the treatment's over. You know that."

"Then what can we do?"

"Here," Lincoln began plucking at the needles, except they refused to move. "What now?"

"She's creating her own little electromagnetic field, which is reversing the polarity in the needles. They aren't going anywhere."

"She can do that?"

"You're looking at every source of superpowers in a teenage mold and refrigerated for a few hours."

_Funny. You know when your bullet clipped him in the shoulder and he fell into the water, it actually began to freeze around him, surrounding him in ice and protecting him from drowning while he healed. Refrigeration is a little bit of an understatement._

"Speaking of which, where's Donnie at?"

"Her dad called him out to the factory because there's something going on in Engineering again."

_Tell me it isn't that manufacturing arm again._

"No, he's actually doing a demonstration."

_Of what?_

"Not sure." Lincoln gathered the needles that no longer glowed. "Where's this person at now?"

_Somewhere... Something... I... Metal... Lots of it..._

"Thalia?"

_Person... Metal... Coming..._

"Whatever it is, it's messing with the field."

Soft footsteps echoed into the room. Then Daisy was blasted off her feet, skidding along the floor. Lincoln looked up, and a dark, mechanical battle suit stood in the entryway, looking down at Daisy.

"What are you doing here?"

Daisy looked up at it in confusion.

 _Ow, Lincoln,_ Thalia whimpered, reaching for the needles _. I think they're stuck...getting...really tired..._

"Just give me a minute." Lincoln began pulling them out. "They're really stuck in there. Could you give me some help?"

She began whining as they began digging themselves out. "I know, it's gonna sting a bit," Lincoln assured her. The suit stepped forward and Daisy raised a hand, intending to push it back when it raised its hand and a blast of cold hit her, freezing her inside a cocoon of ice. "Almost done..."

The suit then walked towards them, and Lincoln looked up in panic, meeting the suit's faceless gaze. When his hands shot sparks, the hand raised itself again, then fell and blasted cold air at him, freezing him into a cocoon.

And the last thing he saw was the suit scooping Thalia into its arms, making her stir before falling asleep again as it carried her out of the room.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
It carried Thalia's unconscious form into the room. She began to whimper softly, her limp hands twitching. "They're stuck..." She mumbled. "I can't, they're stuck..."

She then began to twist in its arms, and it set her down gently on the couch, stepping back when she turned onto her side. Jolting awake, she muttered in confusion at her surroundings when the suit bent down to try and help her acclimate; Thalia turned over and then shrieked at the sight, taking a wild swing at the suit. "Thalia, stop, it's me!" The person inside yelled. "It's me!"

She lowered her hands. "Donnie?"

He stepped back, the suit deconstructing in front of her until it was reduced to a briefcase sized box on the floor. He picked it up, setting it on the desk. "Your dad wanted me to do a demonstration of the suit I'd been making. A Blizzard battle suit."

"Blizzard as in Blizzard machine?"

"Its design was based off the machine. I designed it so it can be just like you in a fight."

"Where are we?"

"In my office," Ian answered. "So Donnie tells me you finally have a date in mind."

She crossed her arms. "Am I going to be lectured for finally picking a date?"

"I was going to ask to be a witness." Ian laughed. "You always did have a flair for dramatics."

"Tomorrow," she answered decidedly. "Make a good day out of a bad day."

"You do realize you'd need to at least let Lilah know." Ian gestured to a flustered Donnie. "She is his mother."

"I'll call her in a bit. She would be absolutely thrilled." Turning on her heel, she pointed a finger at Donnie. "Speaking of people being thrilled, guess who's going to have to fix your little icing?"

"She was in the house, when I remember you giving explicit instructions that Daisy isn't allowed to put a foot inside the house. I was following through on your desires."

"She was trying to protect me!" She sighed softly, pressing a kiss to his chest. "You can be absolutely infuriating sometimes."

"You two are meant for each other," Ian noted with disgusted fascination. "I'll call his mother."

"You take me home so I can fix this," she wagged her finger at his compacted suit. "And you're going to show this to them."

"No specs," Donnie answered. "I put a lot of work into this and the last thing I need is some ripoff of it being made."

"Demonstration only." Thalia picked up his suit. "Now let's go."

Leading her down the hallway, he took a sharp turn, ducking into a small room to put the suit on. "What, you're gonna carry me back in there?"

"If it's for a good cause," he answered, scooping her up into his arms. He then carried her back into the dining room, where Lincoln and Daisy remained in their frozen states. Thalia shot a knowing stare at him, then waved her fingers, melting the cocoons and having them move around normally again.

"Put her down," Lincoln and Daisy ordered, looking at Thalia's feigning unconsciousness. Donnie did as he was told, putting her back down on the table. When he backed away, Lincoln rushed to her side, examining her while Daisy rose to her feet. "You better have not hurt her," she spat.

Thalia's eyes fluttered open, sitting up and setting her gaze on the suit. "You're not scary, Donnie."

Daisy spun to face her. "What?"

"Donnie told me something about this a few days ago, but I must've been too asleep to understand," she explained, yawning. "Why is it that I sleep during those treatments and then I sleep after? Makes no sense."

"A suit?"

"To augment his abilities to my level." Thalia got off the table, approaching Daisy. "But I find it admirable that you were concerned for me. Thank you." She hugged her abruptly, making Daisy's arms enclose her. "I forgive you."

They embraced for a while, finally parting when Daisy looked at Donnie sternly. "Coulson needs to know about this."

"Why?"

"Because this could be dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Less than five people know it exists!"

"Don't argue with me."

"I'm not, I'm just stating that I find it highly unnecessary to report that I'm working on projects to Mister Coulson. I'm an engineer, it's what I do!"

"Then what you can do is report to base for any missions that we need your help with. If you aren't gonna tell us what that thing does, then we'll see it in action."

"Just not anytime within the next week." When her inquisitive stare met his gaze, he stuttered, "S-still working the kinks out of it."

"Like what? It looked pretty operational to me."

"The micro-circuitry system, the annoying pinch in my scalp that happen when my hair gets stuck in the seams of the helmet. Pretty normal things to worry about when making a virtual exoskeleton suit."

"Well then I guess we'll be going," Daisy grabbed Lincoln's arm, leading him out of the house. Thalia turned to Donnie, running a hand through her hair.

"That was close," she breathed.

"Well, I didn't lie."

"And you'd need a week to do it?"

"I figured that week could go towards any honeymoon that we wanted to have."

"Knowing my lovely aunt is officiating, I don't doubt that she has a plan in mind."

_Quite correct, niece. I have a lovely castle you two will be staying at._

_Going all out, are you?_

_My niece is to be wed tomorrow! It is one of few rare chances I have to celebrate such a joyous event. And besides niece, it is quite a gorgeous view that my castle boasts._

_When and where did you stay here long enough to acquire a castle?_

_I challenged a mortal man in Paris to a drinking contest, betting that should I lose, I would spend an intimate evening with him, and he bet his entire property, castle and all._

_You cheated a man of his property!_

_Not so, niece. I simply used the severe underestimation of women during the time period to achieve what I desired. Which was his gorgeous grey stone castle that rested close to a coastline that, later that night, came into my possession._

_Hmm. Quite intelligent._

_See? Your father isn't the only person that should receive credit for your high intelligence._

_Where is it?_

_Donald intends to seek these answers by using you as a proxy? He will not get answers, as will you. He would surely 'torture' the truth from you with clever usage of his fingers and tongue and I will not have it. Neither of you shall know. Not until you're there._

"Thalia?" Donnie shook her gently. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"

"She said she refuses to tell me where the place we're staying at is because she said, and I quote, 'he would surely 'torture' the truth from you with clever usage of his fingers and tongue and I will not have it'."

Donnie then erupted into laughter. "Your aunt is the most savage person I've ever met," he said between fits of laughter.

"It's not funny!" Thalia's cheeks flushed a deep shade of rose. "I would never do that."

"You always do that," he nodded assuringly, and she buried her face in her hands. "I would be giving it to you good and slow and you would just _cover_ my shoulders with finger marks from how hard you're gripping me. I could get any answer I wanted out of you."

"Well, as much as I'd like you to prove your theory, I have a wedding to get ready for."  
~*~  
"Whoa, whoa, Coulson, did you just see that?"

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know, something close to an Asgardian event just opened up in Thalia's backyard and then boom, it's gone. Amora didn't take Thalia with her to Asgard, did she?"

"I'm getting reports that say no."

"Then what happened?"  
~*~  
"Mistress?" A strange voice called out to her. "Mistress?"

Shaking the fuzzy feeling from her head,  she sat up in bed. A red-haired young woman stood in front of her. "You're awake!" The girl beamed. "Oh, Mistress Quinn, you're..."

Taking the girl's body language cues, she looked down, noticing that she was bare-breasted and immediately pulled the blanket over herself. "Sorry."

"No need to be, Mistress," the girl smiled shyly. "I came to inform you that breakfast is ready."

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Fenella, Mistress." Fenella put her hands together. "Donald has already awoken, he's in the dining room. Shall I get your shift and plaid?"

"Yes, please. I thought I had it on already."

"You did, but you took it off in your sleep last night. The blankets were quite thick."

Fenella brought Thalia her nightgown, and she slipped into it, accepting Donnie's plaid to wrap around her. "I was un'ware Donald was of the clan MacGill. They are an hon'rable clan; will you be meeting with them to aware them of your presence in the area?"

"I'm confused. Where are we?"

"Castle Draiodh of Loch Morar. When you arrived last night, Donald carried you inside. He was verra worried for you, Mistress Quinn."

"I didn't mean to worry him."

"I doubt he doesna realize you do," Fenella consoled her. "Now come. Breakfast has been made."

Leading her through the maze of hallways to the dining room, Fenella stood out of the way when they reached a large room, lined with tables and boasting a large table that headed the rest. Donnie sat at it, and he looked up at her in delight. "Thalia," he stood, coming to her side. "Good morning," he whispered softly, kissing her as he did. "You hungry?"

"What's on the menu?"

"Porridge, Mistress. Although if you're wanting something else, I can tell the cooks."

"Porridge is fine, Fenella."

"Maybe some eggs and sausage?" Donnie suggested. "You need to eat."

"Of course," Fenella bowed her head. She left their presence and Donnie led her to a seat at the table, offering her a sausage.

"Donnie, where are we?"

"Scottish Highlands," Amora answered, and they both looked to where she sat in a chair next to them. "The man that had this castle picked its location wisely. Freshwater, plenty of fish, good livestock, good soil."

"The Highlands aren't known for their good soil, Aunt Amora."

"No, but I did enchant the land of Loch Morar to be bountiful. The townspeople believe it's because the mysterious creatures that reside in the Loch's waters bestow gifts upon them for not disturbing their home." Aunt Amora looked at Thalia intently. "And now, the land of Loch Morar and everything inside its borders is yours." She stood. "Consider it a wedding gift."

"Aunt Amora, I can't."

"You can and you will," Amora leaned in next to Donnie. "Yours and Donnie's, together."

"Amora, I can't accept such an extravagant gift," Donnie chuckled nervously. "It's far too fancy for me."

Amora chuckled. "You are my nephew now, you may call me Aunt Amora." She pulled her cloak around herself. "I must go. Business to tend to."

She left the room, leaving Thalia and Donnie to eat their breakfast in comfortable silence. "Eggs and sausage, Mistress Quinn," Fenella bowed curteously, setting the platter of food down in front of her. Nodding to the girl, she dismissed her, eating her breakfast while Donnie watched with rapt awe.

"What?"

"I can't really believe it," he answered. "We're...married."

"Oh, and you're now starting to miss being single again?" Thalia teased.

"I haven't been single since I met you," he replied huskily, and her cheeks flushed prettily. "Now eat your breakfast. You'll need your strength."

"For what?"

"We are going to meet my family today." Donnie swiped a sausage off her plate. "Well technically, they're coming here."

Fenella entered the room. "Mistress Quinn, the stable boys came to inform me that the MacGills are a few hours from Arasaig."

"I must be getting dressed, then." Thalia made her way around the table towards Fenella. "Fenella, I must ask of you a favor."

She nodded. "Of course. What is it?"

"I'm afraid to say that Donnie, he's well, he doesn't know how to dress for the reunion with his family. Would you find someone, if you can, who could show him?"

"Of course, Mistress Quinn. Now we need to get you dressed. As the laird-lady of the Loch Morar, you and your husband need to be presentable and rather ordinary, as the clan leader is a very religious man."

"He is?"

"He is frightened by Loch Morar, Mistress Quinn. The townsfolk believe that the monsters that live in the water enchanted the land for good harvest, and he isn't a firm believer of that. Then you're an Irish woman and own a loch, which he finds disrespectful."

"Why would he think that?"

"He thinks you're a witch. Women don't normally hold such high power in the Highlands."

"Then we shall show him how Loch Morar takes to being handled by a woman."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Entering the room, Coulson sat down in his chair, looking at the computer screens. Daisy entered the room, watching them along with him. "They'll show up."

"I hope they do. That's two of the smartest people in the world, poof!"

"We'll find them."

"We should. I used the old Insight programming, inserted their DNA samples into it and I now have the satellites searching for them. If they're somewhere on earth, it'll find them."

"I've been monitoring the screens for ages. Nothing. Three days, and I've not seen hair or hide of them. How does that happen?"

"She's an Asgardian, damn it! She could've spelled her way out of being seen. There are Inhumans who can do outrageous things, surely one has the ability to hide itself from seeking technology?"

"Lincoln's entertaining the idea that Donnie could be Inhuman."

Coulson looked up. "This is a legitimate idea?"

"We could get his DNA sample and test it. That was from before the accident, wasn't it?"

"We used up what was left in the search."

"Then--"

"We can't separate his blood from Thalia's if that's what you're about to ask me. Similar blood types with similar proteins and antibodies. That'd be like searching for a cross-stitcher in a needle haystack."

The computer then chirped. Both looked at the screen, then frowned. "Northern Scotland? How'd they get there?"

Then just as fast as it appeared, it vanished. "Just a second,"  Daisy typed on the keyboard. "It said they were there, but I commanded a second scan and nothing showed up in the area. Perhaps it was a glitch?"

"No, that programming wasn't made to glitch. They're there."

"While true," Amora looked up from her book, startling them both, "they're not _there_ exactly."

"What?"

"Mortals are always confusing the past of being made of stone. Time is fluid," she held her hand out towards one of the chairs and it became a puddle on the floor. "And can be manipulated much like Daisy can shape vibrations."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that they're there, just not there also."

"And what does that mean?"

"I also forgot you are not intelligent enough to grasp what I tell you," she scoffed as Jemma entered the room. "Wise woman, answer this: where something once was and isn't now, what does this mean?"

"That your theoretical object has been lost to time, wouldn't it? And you'd imagine it was still there?"

"And the area that those two showed up in, Loch Morar, there's a castle called Castle Draiodh."

Jemma gasped. "Fitz told me about it! Everyone thought it was haunted because people claimed to see a woman with jet hair and wore white."

Coulson paled. "That's impossible."

Jemma creased her brow. "Why?"

"Jemma, what happened to Castle Draiodh?"

"It still stands, but around this time of year, people that go up there see the woman."

"Get the plane ready. How soon can we be there?"  
~*~  
Looking out the window, he saw Thalia walking along the high grasses, the dusk light making her look absolutely goddess-like. "Khione!"

She quickly spun around, beaming at him. "What is it, love of mine?"

"Fenella will think you're mad if she sees you're wandering out here so late! Come back inside!"

Gathering her skirts, she marched through the grass, stomping into the castle. Hearing her footsteps, he caught her as she threw herself into the room. He spun her around. "How was your day?"

"Good. Practiced turning ale and wine into water and juice." She traced her finger over his nose. "You?"

"Made merry with my ancestors and was called a sassenach."

"Outlander," she mused. "Fitting."

"I told them that I was born Scottish but raised outside of Scotland. Which explains my lack of accent." He smiled. "They called you a bonny lass that will bear several more MacGills."

Thalia chuckled. "They're hilarious."

"Turn," he spun her around, beginning to unlace her corset. The minutes ticked by until he hooked his fingers under the final "X" in the laces, freeing the constricting garment from her and easing her out of it. She gripped the bedpost, breathing deeply. "Are you alright?"

"Just a bit faint," she replied airily. He cautiously walked her over to the pitcher of water, wet down a rag and wiped her face and neck. "Thank you."

"Corsets were not kind to difficult breathers and asthmatics alike in these times," he joked, rubbing her sides. Turning around, she placed her hands on his chest. "So how's married life treating you?"

"It's treating my torso to a nice rub down after the punishing day I spent in a corset," she answered, moaning at the feeling of his hands continuing to rub her sides. "You look so historical," she giggled.

"Not a word. I fought tooth and nail for my underwear, but I still feel weird with them on."

"Maybe because you're wearing a kilt," she snickered.

"Once again, not a word. You've no idea how demeaning it feels to have all that just..."

"Women's underwear is still another hundred and eighty years away genius. Try that on for size."

"You can use mine."

"I'm covered. Apparently the shift I'm wearing is the only thing separating my naked self from the outside air."

Lovingly, Donnie combed a few curls from her face. "Your hair has become so curly since we've started staying here."

"It's because I haven't been cleaning it. That and the humidity. It's a bitch here."

He laughed. "I have a feeling that I like Thalia with curly hair." Running his fingers through her hair, he felt small curls completely wrap around his fingers. He looked down at her, smiling softly as she rested her head on his shoulder. She moved away, and he unbuckled his kilt, letting it fall to the floor.

"Want to know something funny?" Thalia laughed a little. "They think that you left the gathering to roll in the hay with me."

He chuckled. "Well if any of their wives were as gorgeous as you, I bet they'd leave early to roll in the hay with them, too."

"Some also think it's because you're finally getting your rocks together to consummate me." She frowned slightly. "They seem to care an awful lot for your sins of the flesh."

"The sins of my flesh are none of their business. Neither is my sex life."

For a moment Thalia was quiet. Then she said, "Well _I_ have a right to worry. If they don't think that we've consummated, what's to stop them from coming in here and _raping_ me in the middle of the night--"

"Whoa, Thalia, they won't do that," Donnie promised. "As... Primitive as men's morals of people of this time are, they will not lay anything on you."

"But they know we haven't consummated yet. In their eyes, I'm no more than a woman that you've put your ring on. Men here, in this time, don't discriminate between engaged and single women."

"They don't discriminate like that in our own time, either."

"Exactly." She exhaled shakily. "It would makes me feel better if you blocked the door from our side."

"Of course," he nodded. When she sat down on the edge of the bed, he pushed the trunk in front of the door. "There."

"Thank you," she sighed. "Now come to bed."

Turning down the blankets, he took off his shirt, adding it to the floor and joining her. "Nobody's getting in," he promised again, pulling her in close and planting a sweet kiss upon her lips. They each fell asleep wrapped in each other, waking hours later in the dead of night when he began hearing something hard hit the door.

"That boy is a nuisance." Someone shoved against the door. "What the hell is behind this?"

"Probably to keep the redcoats out. If any of them see his wife, they'll probably take her for ransom; and then they'll be able to hold Morar under the threat of her life. Donald won't have a choice but to let them take it." The hard shoves faded away. "As sassenach as Quinn is, she's family. We protect Morar."

"Mistress Quinn is Irish, you clod!"

"Still, this is her home. Her aunt actually won it off a Scot that lost to her in a drinking contest. Irishwoman or not, it is hers and Donald's. Let them sleep. It's been an exhausting three days."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Castle Draiodh." Coulson looked at the dreary sky, then the quaint grey stone castle. "Loch Morar."

"Local people have reported phenomena such as the air growing unreasonably cold, and the woman strolling around the castle and grounds." Jemma stood next to Fitz. "Fitz and I will look around the castle."

Going inside, Fitz remained quiet. "Mum told me that this place is haunted. But it's really just tachyons. Which as S.H.I.E.L.D. has found are commonly found around Asgardian events."

"So it's possible that Donnie and Thalia _teleported_ here?"

"Amora, most likely. And judging by my readings, she was here recently." Looking up, they froze at the Thalia that stood in front of them, picking at the hem of a tartan that circled her shoulders. In the barest tenth of a second, there was a flickering double image, vanishing as she walked past them. "Coulson, we saw her."

"Thalia?"

"She was here, sometime ago."

"Sometime ago, what does that mean?"

"Not in current times." Turning around, Jemma saw her retreating form vanish into thin air. "Fitz thinks that tachyons are causing the double images."

"So Asgardians have been here." Coulson then quickly added, "Daisy and I just saw her out here. What?"

"I saw Donnie in one of the windows!" Daisy exclaimed. "They're here!"

"When were they here, though?" Fitz looked around them. "This castle is centuries old, they'd had to have been here during the seventeen hundreds." A look of realization passed over him. "Jemma?"

"What is it?"

"Wasn't there a clan gathering here in the 1740s?" Fitz snapped his fingers. "They were here for a few days while trying to gather money for the Jacobites? They stayed with an Irishwoman, what was her name?"

"Quinn," Jemma paled. "Coulson, they're in the 1740s! Thalia and Donnie were here in 1745! There was a clan that stayed here trying to raise money for the Jacobites in 1745 under an Irishwoman's roof who went by Quinn! It's Thalia and Donnie!"

"Cool!" Daisy laughed. "I mean, totally unprofessional, but two super geniuses have found a way to go back in time! That's awesome! How any things could I fix if I had the ability to do that?"  
~*~  
Entering the room, Donnie closed the door quietly behind him, sneaking up behind her and wrapping his arms around Thalia's waist. "Jesus!" She seized up, giving way to laughter. "You scared me."

"Everyone's left for the tynchal."

"And you?" She asked sincerely. "Why aren't you with them?"

"Keeping you safe."

"From what? My own shadow?" Thalia turned around. "You could take this time to be with your family. We do leave tomorrow."

"You are smarter than I am, yet you're still so clueless," he chuckled, kissing her hungrily and taking her bottom lip between his teeth. A startled gasp left her and she reached for him, fitting against him. "Thalia," he groaned, deepening the kiss and letting his tongue wander into her mouth. She let out a soft moan, and he pushed her down onto the bed. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I promised to always protect you and stand by you, no matter the circumstance. Be with you in sickness and in health, whether we are poor or rich, until death does us part. I love you with everything I have. Ever since I saw those gorgeous brown eyes open and regard me with kindness, I knew that I was going to be hopelessly tied around your little finger."

Sitting up, he pulled her into his lap, taking her hand and pressing the ringed knuckles to his lips, kissing them hard. "I want you, Thalia," he blurted out, sounding choked as he did. "Badly. So much sometimes that I can hardly breathe." Swallowing thickly, he cleared his throat. "I want to be around you because you make me feel normal, because I like being able to not scare someone away by touching them. I love being around you because you love me as I am, cold skin and all. Thalia..." He looked up at her, tugging her impossibly closer. "I have you, but will you-- will you have me?"

Her fingertips skimmed over his face. "Yes," she whispered in reply. "Yes, I will have you," she leaned into him, her lips millimeters from his when she paused. "But not right now. We don't have anything with us, and I'm not willing to take that kind of risk."

He nodded, kissing her. They stayed like that for a while, until he heard Thalia suggest: _But they don't have to know that._

Suddenly, he slanted his mouth against hers, his hand smoothing over her skirted thigh. He slipped a hand up underneath her skirt, and the sharp noise that left her lips was easily muffled by his own. She tried breaking the kiss every few moments to pant and whine, but he immediately stopped her, the arm that had wrapped around her waist clutched her and refused to let go. His name was whimpered into his mouth, followed by her hips involuntarily canting towards him.

 _You are a dead man_ , the thought barely crossed him before she made a sharp whining noise in her throat, taking one of the rare opportunities of their parted mouths to stifle a moan into his shoulder. _It was supposed to be an act._

_Well then that would've been no fun. And besides, it's supposed to look realistic. It would seem only fair that there be effort on my part._

_Well the 'effort' on your part involved tormenting my poor nerve endings._

He laughed. _I doubt it felt or looked that way._

A ragged breath of air left her lips as a group of men passed by, cheering about their kill when they paused outside the door. "Donald! Come help us carry this to the kitchens."

"Just a moment," he answered, laying Thalia out on the bed. She exhaled sharply. "Gentle, Lia," he spoke softly, and the idle chatter outside the door had fallen completely silent, likely them eavesdropping. "I'll be back in a while."

"Mmhm," she mumbled in response, a glazed over look to her eyes. She exhaled softly as her eyes closed. The world faded away from her, returning when the soft crashing of the waves of Morar woke her. Sitting up, the night sky was inky indigo, and the pleasant chatter of the dining hall pulled her from bed, the tartan now wrapped around her shoulders as she picked at the hem absently. Following the warm glow of the candlelit dining hall, she emerged to a round of raucous cheering.

"Donnie?" She raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

He took her hand, sitting her down next to him. "Word travels fast."

The moment the idea hit her, her cheeks flamed, and she hid in the folds of her tartan. "Donnie..."

"Will you quiet down? You're embarrassing my wife."

"The wee lassie shouldna be afraid of praise from us. We MacGills are excellent at three things: building, fighting and lovemaking." Donald Senior chuckled. "The wee bairns I'll see running 'round you in a few years' time will prove that true."

Thalia blanched, then blushed even more. "Donald!" Donnie bit out towards the older man. "Once again, you're embarrassing my wife."

"I now understand why she took to callin' you Donnie." Donald took a great swig of ale. "Whole bloody lot of us named Donald, she's got to know which one's hers, ye ken." Suddenly the hall erupted in roars of laughter, making Thalia join in with her musical laughter and making Donnie smile at her.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on," he told her, and he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers again, making the hall loud with cheers. As time passed, the cheers dulled to quiet conversations amongst the guests while Donnie and Thalia ate in appreciative silence, savoring the taste of the evening before them. "You know, Morar has grown on me."

"Has it now?" Thalia looked over at Donnie. "It's not like it's our wedding gift or anything."

"Maybe we can fix it in our own time,"  
he whispered. "It'd be absolutely stunning."

"Then maybe I'll ask Aunt Amora." Thalia picked absently at her meat. "Surely she'd be all for it."

"Mistress Quinn, if I may kindly suggest you be excused." She sharply turned to look at Donald Senior. "I was quite rude earlier in taking your husband away from you. He said you were not comfortable consummating in front of your unknown family."

"Any level-headed woman normally isn't." She pursed her lips, then nodding in agreement. "But I see your point. Donnie, come with me?"

He looked up from his plate. "Sure." Standing, he joined her and they left the room, side by side. "What is it?"

"Your six times great grandfather has excused us from the evening festivities to finish our consummation. And I think you have tapeworm."

"I have _what_?"

"Even though it isn't elaborated upon, many people in this time and age had it in some form or another. I'll have to check you when we get home."

"Check me now!"

"I can't. It requires CT scanning and blood testing, neither of which were around in the 1740s."

"Isn't your aunt a healer? Couldn't she tell if I did or not?"

"Valid point," Amora noted, "and thankfully nephew, you don't. Now you two need to come home, now."

"Why?"

"I was informed from your mortal Scotsman that tomorrow morning, when the MacGills leave, they are ruthlessly slaughtered in Arasaig by the redcoats."

"Then we have to warn them!"

"We cannot. They left when you two disappear to search, and they were ambushed by redcoats."

Donnie's face went paler. "Do any survive?"

"Thankfully, your great grandfather does. He left Scotland and sailed for America in the aftermath of the tragedy." Amora placed a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "You cannot change history. If you stay, you risk putting your own life in danger."

"Donnie, we can't do anything. We have to go."

"She'll pass out!"

"It's nothing I can remedy. Anemics normally do."

Before he spoke another word, Amora touched both of them on the forehead and they were standing in their backyard. Gasping for air, Thalia then promptly passed out. "Ah, her hemoglobin," Amora declared. "It binds to the iron in her blood to diffuse oxygen but as there's a lack of it in the blood, it cannot carry oxygen properly. Lack of oxygen, lack of consciousness."

Donnie lifted her sagging form into his arms. "Mayhap I remove her corset? Surely her syncope isn't being reduced by her wearing it," Amora suggested, waving a hand over her niece's chest and watching her back bend slightly. She inhaled, and lifted her head. "Welcome home, niece. How was your honeymoon?"

"Pleasant enough, with it being in the seventeen hundreds and all." She wrapped an arm around Donnie's neck. "Goodnight, Aunt Amora. I have rigorous cleaning to catch up on."  
~*~  
It felt good to have a shower. The warm water sluicing down his back, the warm body pressed to his front as he slowly washed Thalia's hair. She hummed appreciatively at his gesture, leaning backwards and pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "Mon lune," she chuckled, sighing at the pleasant sensation. "My hair needs to be rinsed."

"Mon soleil, la patience est une vertu." Tilting her head back, Donnie took the shower head and held it over her, rinsing her hair. Wringing the water from the inky strands, he worked her flowery conditioner in. "I thought scientists are supposed to be patient."

"I understand patience is a virtue, mon lune." She reached for her loofah, beginning to harshly scrub herself. "It's just not one of mine. Currently."

"I'm surprised, seeing as you like testing mine." He began leisurely washing himself, then taking the shower head and blasting her with cold water. She gasped aloud, an almost pained expression crossing her face as air hissed out from between her lips.

"God!" She then shivered, the singular spasm shaking her. "That was mean!"

Turning the water back to warm, she began rinsing her hair. "I just tease," he chided, pressing their lips together under the spray and accidentally freezing them together. She laughed, unfreezing them and hopping out of the shower. "Where are you going?"

"To do my hair and go to bed! I'm exhausted!"

Quickly finishing in the shower, he stepped out to find Thalia blow drying her hair. With it finally being an inky black and straight curtain, she flurried out into their bedroom, pulling on a silky nightgown. "Thank you, heaven above, for the shower I had and my tooth brush and shampoo and body wash," she exclaimed, rubbing lotion into herself. "Really just any form of hygiene that was invented after the eighteenth century." Throwing herself down on the bed, she continued saying, "And I'm thankful for underwear and just being born in the twentieth century."

"Oh, and you're _not_ thankful for the husband that washed your hair and has washed your hair since us showering together became a thing?" Donnie chuckled softly. "I'm insulted."

"These days you often are," she replied sarcastically. "So I don't seek reason to be concerned."

She was then flipped around onto her back. Then suddenly, he was everywhere: on her lips, in her hair, unabashedly roaming her with his hands spread wide. Pressing between her legs, his hips roughly knocked against hers and the both of them made a deep, inarticulate sound in their throats. "God, Thalia," he groaned into her collarbone. "Tell me-- tell me to stop."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not so sure I'll be gentle."

She directed his gaze up to hers. "I wasn't made gentle."

His eyes darted back and forth between hers, searching for some kind of hidden meaning in their multicolored darkness. But instead, he found a single sentence said days before.

_"I'm not some delicate little doll. I won't disintegrate under your touch."_

And when it left, so did his last bit of sanity. He fell upon her like a starved animal, kissing and sucking bruises into sensitive spots that would surely last hours. She clutched him possessively, leaning into his touches. Even when he wasn't gentle, gripping her hips hard enough to leave marks, she left some of her own, stifling a gasp into the crook of his neck when he had hit a tender spot; whether it was from pain or pleasure she had yet to discover; but the current way Donnie was rendering her incapable of speech made her seem perfectly content with letting it go.

So she did.  
~*~  
"Coulson, they're back."

"Really?"

"System says they're at home."

"Let's go pay a visit."  
~*~  
Waking to the sound of waves crashing against the beach, she slipped between sleep and consciousness, feeling so rested and lazy with not wanting to get out of bed. But hearing the shower run, she got out of bed and immediately regretted the decision.

Everything was delightfully sore. And while she knew where the source of it came from, she couldn't help but feel a smile creep across her face. Which felt contradictory to how she felt, because even being without a bra on made her feel tender and sore along the sides. Entering the bathroom, she tied up her hair, climbing into the bathtub and feeling the warm water begin to soothe her achy muscles. "Good morning."

"Hi," she cracked an eye open at the voice, then felt cold, methodical fingertips slowly begin to massage the sides of her achy breasts. "There are no words for how that feels."

"Except eight," Donnie replied cheekily. "So how do you feel?"

"Sore."

He snorted softly. "I didn't mean to be so rough."

"I would say 'I forgive you', but I slept excellently. No apology needed."

Thalia's cell began ringing and Donnie scooped it off the counter, answering it and pressing it to Thalia's ear. "Hello?"

"It's nice to hear your voice again."

"Sam, hi!" She beamed. "What's up?"

"One of Coulson's agents just called me saying she finally got part of Anna's file decrypted."

"Which part?"

"Your time in the NYVU." Sam spoke to someone briefly on the other end of the line. "Should be viewable by about ten thirty. Meet me at the base?"

"Sure. Donnie and I will be around." When the line went dead, she turned to look at him. "Did you hear?"

"I did."

"Come on, at least _try_ to be excited."

"It's hard to when you were a costumed vigilante on the streets of New York beating up bad guys. There's got to be a ton of blood in there with your name on it."

"Well help me get dressed. This is our first venture out into the world as a married couple." She looked at him again. "Do you think we should tell them?"

"No. If they wanted to know, then they should've asked. Or been there themselves." He lifted her out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her. "Here. I'll be in the kitchen."

When he left, she drained the tub, stepping into her lingerie and laying her Snow White robe out on her shoulders. Tying the sash over her stomach, she padded into the kitchen, taking an apple from the bowl and staring at it intently. "Are you hoping for it to vaporize?"

"Hey, Dad," she tilted her head to the side, feeling his lips press against her cheek. "Do you think it'd be okay to eat?"

"Not until Lincoln gives the green light," Donnie answered. Ian frowned at him, and Thalia raised an eyebrow.  "What?"

"Where's his ring?"

"Miniature organic light emitting diodes. They're embedded in the metal to camouflage itself and instead it will show the skin around it."

"So it's virtually invisible to the naked eye?"

"Until I do this," Donnie tapped his thumb to the inside of his ring finger, and the metal shimmered into view. "It was our idea."

"Does her ring do that?"

Thalia nodded, tapping her ring finger with her thumb and watching a diamond studded band come into view. "We came up with the idea so that it could be easily concealed from the team. Donnie doesn't like the idea of them being up in our business."

"Neither do I. During your honeymoon, they were constantly calling me because they couldn't find you two, saying you didn't even show up on DNA scanning over the globe. Which I told them wasn't my business, but they're upset about the fact that you two managed to slip out from under them."

"Well, we are heading out there today to go and see them, so they can stop worrying so much." Thalia set the apple back inside the bowl, heading back to her room to get dressed.  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"This is seriously badass," Daisy felt her jaw drop in awe. "Who knew Anna was _leader_ of the NYVU?"

"I had an inkling of a suspicion, but no, I didn't." Sam scrolled though the contents. "And as it turns out, Luke and Danny aren't actual members. More like consultants. Wasn't Stark a consultant?"

"And now he's an Avenger." Daisy stopped on a particular document. "The Rhino?"

"Yeah, she collaborated with Peter on that one. Russian mobster broke out of The Vault and the NYVU brought him in."

"And who was this Max Dillon?"

"Accident involving electric eels, and developed electro-magnekinesis. He busted out and we tried bringing him in, but the project got passed to top brass. Shortly after, Anna developed the same abilities from my helmet on accident and had to be kept in his cell for observation. That's also when she actively joined the group." Checking his phone, Sam frowned. "She's usually so punctual. Where is she?"

"Thalia? She just got back from Scotland with Donnie like yesterday."

"No, something's off. Anna was a fast mover, she could be unpacked from a trip like that in under a half hour. I'm gonna go find her."  
~*~  
"We're almost there," Donnie looked at Thalia. "You okay?"

"I'm anxious," she threaded her fingers together over and over. Donnie placed his hand on hers. "Thank you."

"Hoping for good things in there?" She nodded and he smiled. "Me too. I'd feel better knowing that you did some good even when Hydra had their grip on you."

She looked up, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration. "Donnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Switch seats with me."

"Okay," as she slipped underneath him, they quickly switched seats. "Why?"

"I'm getting really motion sick for some reason," she closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe through her nose. "God, I think I'm gonna be sick."

When she began gagging, he pulled hair out of her face. "Hey," he alerted the driver, "we need to stop, she's about to puke in here."

Then in a split second, the car lurched sideways, and glittering shards of glass flew in front of them. There was a loud snap of the seat belts as they were rocked around in their seats, the car eventually stopping when the side Thalia was on smashed into a wall.

Trying to make his head clear, he turned and saw her slumped forward, the window cracked and bloodied. "Thalia..." He whispered hoarsely, feeling blood trickle from the corner of his mouth and something sharp poking into his side. His hand found his ribs, where many felt out of place. At the sound of a car screeching and peeling away from the scene, the sharp sounds made his head pound.

A hard shove somehow managed to push the car away from the wall. Looking up through hooded eyes, he saw a man slowly becoming metal ripped the door off the car, calling out to him. But it fell upon deaf ears as everything became too much and he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason why their wedding ceremony was never actually written in (and trust me, even I needed to figure out why) was because all they had to do was exchange rings and it would be done (Amora did say she did the majority of it back in BTPOOT, so that was really all that was left). Besides that, I took cues from the book Outlander for both their "honeymoon" and the name of the chapter, so the kudos for that go to Diana Gabaldon.
> 
> I love comments and feedback!


	34. The Defining Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Tiff, a bit of a reference to Scandal (oddly enough, the same thing that happened in this also happened in Scandal, involving the SAME actor). Also, kudos to Netflix's Marvel shows (a four for four special!).

Bright, dark, bright, dark... The sudden bright and dark strobes in his head made him groan softly. Thalia... The car... The strange man...

"Oh my God. Thalia? Thalia!" A sudden bright flash of light was followed by a heavy _thump_ hitting the ground. "Coulson, help!" A voice that he recognized as Sam cried out in fear. "They're hurt, badly, I-- They need help, now!"

His fingers fumbled with the seat belt and it unclasped, making him fall and hit the seat. "Donnie, don't fall asleep, okay? You gotta stay awake--"

And his consciousness faded.

When it came back, he felt someone laying him out flat. "Can you hear me?"

"Thalia..." His eyes finally opened and he saw S.H.I.E.L.D paramedics surrounding them. "Where's Thalia?"

"You're on the rocks right now," the paramedic answered. "And we need you to stay still."

"Thalia!" He cried out hoarsely, stopping when the persistent pains in his side returned. He coughed, feeling blood spatter his lip.

"You need to stop. You have at least two broken ribs, and I think one has punctured your lung. Staying still is your best bet right now." The paramedic looked down at him. "Thalia? Who is she? Maybe I can see how she's doing?"

He weakly held up his left hand, tapping his thumb to his ring finger and watching the ring show itself. The woman's jaw fell slightly. "Where...is she?"

"Hey Jess, watch him for a sec, I gotta find the girl."

His consciousness faded out again, and he woke up to her hand brushing his cheek. "Hey. I found her."

"Where?"

"She's not doing so good," the paramedic answered honestly. "She's got some pretty heavy internal bleeding right now, but we're doing everything we can."

"She..." Donnie coughed weakly, "she made me switch seats with her."

"She cares about you a lot," she smiled faintly. "Enough to risk killing herself to save you." She patted his cheek. "I'm going to give you a sedative. As much as I know you won't want it, this Thalia won't be very pleased wherever she ends up if you're there with her because you let that rib go any further into your chest."  
~*~  
Daisy and Lincoln paced back and forth. Sam joined in, hovering outside the medical bay. "It was my fault."

They both looked up. "No it wasn't."

"If I hadn't told them to come see this, they'd both still be fine. Thalia wouldn't be barely hanging on, and Donnie wouldn't have one of his ribs snapped in two." Sam looked up, his tan face drawn. "They think the _world_ of each other. If either one doesn't make it, they won't be able to look at me."

"Coulson and Ian are combing this up and down. Surely they'll find the source of this."

A dark skinned woman stepped out of the med bay doors. "Sam?"

"Claire," he ran towards her, immediately being enveloped in her arms. She spoke soothingly to him in Spanish, comforting his shaky frame. "How is she?"

"Not out of surgery yet. Donnie took a hard hit, but nowhere near as bad. Doctor Simmons is taping his ribs up now. One of his lungs was pricked by the broken edge of a rib, but she says it shouldn't be anything that a few days of rest can't heal up."

"You two know each other?"

"Yeah, we met in Hell's Kitchen. My neighbor was getting robbed, I called the cops, burglar pulled his gun on me and he flew in, blasted the guy into a pair of handcuffs. We bonded over our share of running into luck."

"You ran into luck?"

"I found a blind man in my dumpster who could smell through walls. He then saved my life. Luck had everything to do with it."

"Claire, Simmons needs you in there."

"Gotta go." Claire snapped her fingers. "Before I do, Donnie's out. Down that way."

She left the three in silence. Eagerly, they ran towards Donnie's room. The entire space was shrouded in darkness. "Go away. He's sleeping."

Daisy peered through the glass. Sleeping on his side, he clutched an extra pillow in a death grip, breathing shallowly as his taped ribs restricted him. "He's dreaming of her."

Sam looked at Daisy sideways. "How can you tell?"

"He does that, except he's holding her instead of a pillow."

Simmons approached them timidly. "Thalia's out of surgery."

Everyone spun around to face her. "Well?"

"She's gonna make it."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "It was touch and go for a while; the force of the car going to a sudden stop caused her organs to jostle back as forth and rupture. But she'll be okay. We're gonna put her in there next to him. I bet they'll heal faster and better knowing they're close."  
~*~  
"You're telling me it was a _drunk driver_? My daughter was almost killed by the impact of her _own_ organs jostling around inside of her due to the crash, and the guy behind the wheel hit them _that_ hard because he was _drunk_?" Ian hissed. "No way I'm believing that."

"He tried running when we found him and fell face down in a pile of his own vomit. His blood alcohol levels were way off the charts. He was blackout drunk. He didn't even remember getting behind the wheel."

Ian looked through the door. Thalia slept soundly; wires ran from her gown, an oxygen tube fastened under her nose. The bed began moving of its own accord, gravitating towards Donnie's until it rested snugly against his. "They're inseparable."

"You got that right." Ian frowned. "Keep looking into this. There's no way that a man could be blackout drunk like he was before noon. He had to be given something to accelerate his body's metabolization of alcohol. Thalia said that they were coming around. Makes the user suffer Auto-Brewery Syndrome. Their gut would be full of fungus like brewer's yeast, fermenting anything the person ate. Check him. I'll work this from my end."

Coulson pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding. Ian stomped away before Talbot came forward. "I heard what happened. Kreel and I were behind them."

"You were?"

"Who do you think radioed for help? He ripped the door off on Thalia's side, which made your guy freak out and blast him into the wall." Talbot sighed. "So those two are the power pack I've been hearing so much about?"

"Yep. Smartest couple in the world. He's in Engineering, she's BioWeapons. Her IQ was actually proven to be two points higher than Tony Stark's."

"So she's smarter than Iron Man?"

"Yep."

Talbot pursed his lips. "Damn." He turned and asked, "They'll pull through this though, right?"

"Pretty sure she will."

"And him?"

"Donnie's tough, but broken ribs are a nasty thing to have."

"What's with them?"

"They're engaged?"

"Oh, really?" Talbot shot a confused glance into the room. "Would've never guessed."

"Sir, we got a woman wanting inside."

Coulson turned towards Mack. "A _civilian_?"

"Says she knows us."

The building then shook. "Daisy, what's going on?"

"We got an Inhuman trying to get in! And she is pissed!"

Talbot and Coulson drew their guns, running towards the scene. The door eventually opened and the woman charged in, plants swirling around her and lashing out angrily. "Where is he?"

Talbot pointed his gun. "Calm yourself down!"

But Coulson dropped his. "Lilah?"

Lincoln dropped his hands to his sides. "You know her?"

"Yeah," he holstered his gun. "She's Donnie's mother."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Oh well then there's no way he's _not_ Inhuman. Absolutely no way."

Shaking his head back and forth, he rubbed his eyes, cracking them open. Thalia was laid out next to him, her face in a peaceful expression. "Thalia," he rasped out, groaning softly when he reached over and cupped her cheek, wincing at the sharp pain in his ribs. Weakly, her hand sparked.

"Donnie?"

Trying to pull himself into a sitting position, Lincoln helped him out of bed. "Donnie!" Jemma smiled. "Glad to see you awake. How do you feel?" She closed her eyes, correcting herself and saying, "Sorry. You're on some pretty good painkillers. What we heard from our medic, Thalia switched seats with you. Which likely is why you're alive right now."

He clasped her hand. "And her?"

"She's... In a somewhat comatose state. The impact caused her internal bleeding, which is being closely monitored, but if you were in her position, we'd be pulling the zipper on your body bag right now." Jemma's smile became more of a forced grin. "You're lucky all you have is four broken ribs. In her position, your ribs would've been caved in from the impact."

"But instead she's just...bleeding internally," he spat. "Nice to know."

"Donnie?"

"Mrs. Hearthrow, this is a private area--"

"You will let me pass!" Lilah snarled, throwing her hand out. A thick vine whipped out and knocked Lincoln away from the door, and she stepped through, meeting Donnie's terrified gaze. "Sweetheart, what happened?"

"What did-- You just--"

"I heard what happened and came here straightaway."

His face went pale. "You're Inhuman."

"Honey--"

"Get away from me," he felt his voice crack.

"Donnie, sweetheart--"

"You lied to me," he answered hoarsely. "You lied to me, you lied to Thalia, you lied to Dad..."

"I couldn't tell him, honey, you know why."

"I didn't know a damn thing about this!"

As she advanced forward, he took steps backwards, putting himself between his mother and Thalia's sleeping form. "Honey, let me explain..."

"I don't want you explaining anything! How am I supposed to understand anything that happened because of this?"

"I left after Breanna died because I underwent Terrigenesis. I couldn't control myself and I needed control of my abilities. That's why you didn't hear from me for that year. That's why I couldn't come back."

"You blame genetic superpowers for why you couldn't look at me for weeks after Breanna was born? Why I suffered Dad's drunkenness and abuse all by myself? Because if so, that's a hell of an excuse!"

"Lilah, leave!" Daisy barked. "They've been in an accident and need to recover."

"How about I listen when you have a child of your own who you have to explain the last ten years of suffering alone to?"

"You were suffering? Dad gave me four stitches in the forehead and a dislocated shoulder!" Donnie pointed to his forehead then his left shoulder. "Try that!"

Lilah's face fell. "I think I have to go."

"I think you should," Donnie rasped. "Before one of us says something that can't be taken back."

Crestfallen, Lilah nodded. "Donnie, get back in bed," Daisy ordered. "Broken ribs aren't fun to have, especially when you won't let them heal."

He nodded again, obediently climbing into bed. Taking Thalia's hand, he quickly fell asleep, aided by the morphine and Thalia unconsciously gripping his hand.  
~*~  
He took her in his arms, her warmth now all around them. Then he ran a hand down her back, listening to her soft breathing. "I really don't think you should be carrying her," Claire said worriedly. "Your ribs are _broken_."

Donnie shot her an impassive look. "And who else will?"

"The _bed_."

He sighed softly. "She's just worrying me."

"Worrying seems to be all you do. What part of _broken ribs_ isn't piquing your worrying?"

"The part where she won't wake up. Simmons said the bleeding's stopped, but she still won't come out of it."

"Neither will your ribs if you don't let them heal." Helping Donnie put her back in bed, Claire crossed her arms. "So I heard how your mom stopped by a few hours ago."

"It was stressful."

"So is living in Hell's Kitchen after New York and Sokovia. I saw Gifteds that can control what people think and do, those with unbreakable skin, those with super strength and severe drinking problems, and those who are blind and see better than I ever can. And now, I've partially met a married couple of them that are _teenagers_ , yet one of you was crushed between eight thousand pounds of metal, plastic, glass, and rock and hasn't got a single broken bone."

"And you don't want to know how that's possible?"

"After New York, all kinds of Gifted people were leaping out if the woodwork. I know not to ask questions." She very quickly frowned. "Is that normal for her to have nosebleeds in her sleep?"

"No, she's having another seizure," Donnie hobbled to her side, pushing her up into a sitting position. Tilting her head forward, Claire pressed gauze to her face.

"That's not a seizure, that's a nosebleed."

"Electric seizures. You know what an EMP does? Well her brain creates these mini-EMPs that rupture blood vessels in her brain."

"So she's Gifted with electricity?"

"To an extent," Donnie explained.

"Could it also be due to a cumulative buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in her brain? I treated a guy that had seizures in a state like this. I ended up having to put a needle through his eye to drain out the fluid."

"No. She heals too fast for something like that to happen."

"But she doesn't heal fast enough for internal bleeding." Claire stood, reaching for her clipboard and jotting down a note. "Keep an eye on her. Page me if anything happens."

Slipping back into bed, Donnie tenderly rubbed his side, wincing at the pain. Jemma knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

He nodded, and she wheeled a cart in. "What's with the supplies?"

"Checkup on her. I passed Claire and she told me about her seizure." Picking up a handful of tools, she approached the bed. He watched as she ran numerous tests, stopping and putting everything back. "No noted change in level of consciousness."

"I'm no expert, but isn't a pupil check some kind of mandatory test?"

She sighed softly, picking up a penlight and opening Thalia's eye. Shining the light inside, he stared in confusion at her large pupil that refused to move. "What--"

"It's normal, for people in her state. Altered consciousness mean they spend a lot of time not seeing anything except darkness, so that's what it's accustomed to."

Annoyance started seeping through his features. "Except normally she'd show some kind of response."

"We think she might be brain dead, alright!?" Jemma exclaimed. "Or at least in an altered conscious state. Her healing wouldn't kick in so we had to manually stop the bleeding. Then she hasn't shown any response to physical or psychological stimuli, which worries us still, and the added seizure made us hopeful, but she hasn't shown any other signs of consciousness."

"She sparked when I held her hand."

"I think the accident has forced her to shut down to the barest brain activity. Enough to keep her breathing but not enough to have higher consciousness. I don't know what sparked this reaction, and it frightens me that she won't be able to pull out of it. Lincoln suggested we put her in here next to you to see if that could do something, but..."

"She _can't_ snap out of it." Donnie looked up. "What about trying to jumpstart her brain? Lincoln's done it before on someone else like this, maybe it could work."

"I'll go get him," Jemma ran out of the room. Donnie combed her hair back, cradling her head between his hands as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Come back to me, Thalia," he begged quietly. "Please come back to me. Come back, come back, come back..."

Sparks passed between them, and hearing footsteps to his back, he took a step back, only to feel a warm hand brush across his arm. "It's too bright," she mumbled softly. "Would you dim the lights down, please?"

He chuckled happily, dimming the lights before kissing her softly, to the shock of the two behind them. "She's awake?"

"I thought she--"

"But she wasn't responding--"

They kept their foreheads pressed together. "Welcome back," he chuckled softly. Thalia sighed in response.

"Are you okay?"

"Just a few broken ribs," he answered drolly. "You saved my life, you know. And almost ended yours."

"Well, I am tougher than you," she chuckled lightly. "Because I don't have anything broken."

"Yeah, and by not having anything broken, you freaked out a lot of people."

She smiled. "But not you."

"Hey, are you two finished? Because if so, we need to run tests." Jemma stood dutifully behind him. "Not to mention you aren't even supposed to be out of bed. You still have four broken ribs, _Donald_."

" _Four_?" Thalia pushed herself into a sitting position. Donnie winced at her voice. "You didn't tell me you had _four_!"

"That and one of them punctured his lung, so he's been needing bed rest to let _that_ heal."

"Donald Vincent Gill, you better get back in that bed or you will have hell to pay," Thalia growled. "Now."

"Fine! I'm going, geez," he got back into his bed.

"Lincoln, could you go to our house and bring us some clothes to last a few days? Then I need you to buy compression wraps to help keep his ribs in place." Thalia searched around the room. "I'll need you to retrieve my bag from Forensics. It's likely got my wallet and phone in there."

Nodding, he passed through the doorway. "And Lincoln," Jemma spoke in low tones, "see if you can find a DNA sample of his to test. I'll give you a collection kit from the lab."

"Sure thing. Now which way's Forensics?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Leaving now. Here's your phone."

"Thank you," Thalia accepted Lincoln's gift, and she turned to Coulson. "But as I was saying, I agree with my dad. If that man was that drunk, he would've had to consume copious amounts of alcohol for hours beforehand. But if he did, he'd be showing signs of alcohol poisoning. Which, from what you're telling me, he didn't have."

"So is there any kind of drug or BioWeapon out there that could do this?"

"Um, yeah. They're sold everywhere. Probiotics, certain antibiotics. It builds up _Saccharomyces cerevisiae_ in the intestinal tract, that is if you've finished an antibiotic course that's known for wiping out your intestinal flora, and ferments anything rich in carbohydrates. So all they'd have to do is load this bacteria into their intestines and start eating. The rest will occur naturally. Your body builds up ethanol and raises your blood alcohol level. So Dad was right, the guy had to have been given something, but that something could've been a probiotic or an antibiotic."

"Do you think this was done maliciously? That someone would try to assassinate you again?"

"I honestly don't know. There are still people out there that got really pissed when my vaccine nebulizer finally came out. Several developing countries use their native diseases and viruses as a means to control their citizens. If their citizens suddenly became immune to those diseases..."

"It could cause an uproar," Coulson nodded. "But that nebulizer was made to provide vaccines to countries with high population rates and low incomes."

"People will always find ways to make machines seem monstrous. What starts out innocent and pure will become perverted and corrupt through humankind's hands."

Coulson smiled in a tight line. "That hurts, you know."

"There is grace to our failures. I'm a failure of genetics."

"Most human beings wouldn't see it that way."

"But many Asgardians do. You see what I'm trying to show you? I'm someone that some people think needs to be neutralized because it would finally give the weaker side an upper hand. You see what Hydra did to Captain Rogers, and what S.H.I.E.L.D did to Donnie. Take out the biggest gun before the worst fight."

"Using Donnie against us will never get old, will it?"

"You tried having him killed because you couldn't stand having your ego hurt. It still hurts, and it's still young. Now, _if_ you don't mind, I have Donnie to tend to."

She stood, strolling back down the hall to their shared recovery room. He laid on his side still, a hand hanging over the bed as he snored lightly. "Mon lune, wake up," she nudged him lightly.

He mumbled unintelligibly in French, turning over onto his opposite side and waking up in screaming pain. "Och, mon lune." She helped him out of bed, making him stand while she removed his shirt. "I told you to get up."

"Yeah, I know." He hissed when she touched the bruising. "Is it bad?"

"You shifted your ribs out of position. Stay still," she held her hand flat in front of the bruising. She then pulled her hand out and heard a wet, grinding sound. Donnie nearly sank to his knees, burying his face into her shoulder. "I know, I just pulled your ribs back into position."

"You and your magic hands," he groaned into her shoulder, leaning on her for support as she walked him back to bed. "And your healing."

"I wish I could help."

"You just did," he grunted softly. "You know what's funny is one of those four ribs is the same rib I broke back when I was ten."

"So then I fixed that rib." Thalia turned when Claire entered the room. "And who are you?"

"Your guys' nurse. And I assume you must be his..." Claire then mouthed the word "wife" to her.

"Yes. Thalia," they shook hands. "Donnie tells me you're quite the nurse."

"He tells me you're quite the girl. Gifted with electricity, right?"

"To an extent." She sat down on her bed. "I'm assuming it's how I woke up."

"So what do you do?"

"Biological weapons specialist. He's an engineer."

"Wow. I actually would _never_ have pegged you two as super geniuses."

Donnie chuckled dryly. "I'm insulted."

"You usually are, now shut up." She leaned forward and kissed him, smiling against his lips.

"Hey, you two."

Thalia looked up, her face splitting into a grin. "Sam!"

She jumped up and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. He chuckled lightly. "Good to see you guys moving around."

"Not so much, but enough." She looked him in the eyes and made an inquisitive sound in her throat. "Odd."

"What?"

"Your eyes are actually blue."

"Well yeah." Sam raised an eyebrow. "They usually are."

"I remember them being green."

"Yeah, they'll do that sometimes in Nova mode." Sam looked at Donnie. "How are you holding up?"

"Four broken ribs and a hell of a body ache."

"I'm sorry that happened," Sam apologized. "You guys are way too nice to have something as awful as that happen."

"Me? Nice?" Donnie chuckled darkly. "You do realize that out of the four of us, I'm the only one that has actually killed people?"

Claire glanced sharply at Donnie. "You've _killed_ people?"

Thalia sighed solemnly. "Donnie, you break my heart when you do that."

"What do you mean?"

Thalia sighed softly. "He was captured and brainwashed by Hydra." She choked up. "And they made him--they made him--" she began to break down sobbing, and Donnie then frowned deeply, taking her petite frame into his arms. He began comforting her in French, running his fingers through her hair.

"They tried making her do the same things that I did. Except she was a lot more obstinate than I was, so they would beat her instead to make her comply," Donnie offered as a soft response. "It makes her start freaking out when anyone mentions it."

"Let's give them some space, Sam." Claire stood, leading him out of the room. Donnie stroked her hair when she rested her face against his neck.

"I'm sorry."

"Why do you act so self deprecating?" She scrunched her eyebrows together, pressing her lips against his neck. "You can be such an ass sometimes."

He pondered her words. "I'm sorry I made you cry."

"You should. You know how much I hate it when you talk about it. I don't like having to think about it."

"I know, I'm sorry."

So as the moon rose into the sky, they sat there, being in each other's company until Donnie laid out on his side, falling asleep.  
~*~  
When Lincoln entered the lab, he looked thoroughly disgusted with himself. "Did you find a DNA sample?" Jemma inquired, moving around her lab station towards him. "The kit I have you have the nitrogen-treated tools, didn't it?"

"Um, yeah, it did," Lincoln answered distractedly.

"Were there not any samples? Thalia is quite the meticulously tidy woman."

"No, there was."

"Then what is it?"

Holding out the clearly conspicuous brown paper bag, she raised a sculpted eyebrow before narrowing her eyes, taking the edge of the bag. Looking inside, she then shut the bag, eyes wide in shock. "Lincoln Campbell!"

"Well, I was very thorough in my search, but--"

"His toothbrush would've sufficed!"

"It wasn't there! And considering that I heard that many of his bodily fluids are nitrogenous, I knew I'd need to find a sample that was protected from outside elements while at the same time being copious enough for multiple tests."

She scoffed in disgust. "Then you can test it because I am _not_ , repeat _not_ , going anywhere near it. And should anything come of these tests, you can be the one to break the news because you're the one that went digging through their _trash_!" She quickly moved back to her station, throwing herself into her work and leaving Lincoln alone once again.  
~*~  
Startling himself out of a bad dream, Donnie looked around the room, finding it to be empty. Her bed was empty, the small bathroom was empty, even the hallway outside was void of people. "Hello?"

"Donnie, I know it seems like a really bad time to be asking this, but I'm gonna need you to suit up." Daisy ran past him. "We got an emergency mission that needs an expert engineer on site."

"Where's Thalia?"

"Donnie, we have to go!" Daisy pulled him along.

"Where is she?" Donnie yanked her backwards.

"Last I saw her, she was in the lab with Fitz. Now get your suit and meet us in the aviation bay." Daisy ran down the hall, and Donnie entered the lab. Fitz looked up, and Thalia held a remote in her hands, with wires running to his compacted suit.

"I was running diagnostics. Here," she passed him the suit. "Be safe for me. Wouldn't want all that effort I put into keeping you alive to go to waste."

"I will," he promised. Quickly, he kissed her, powering the suit and putting it on. Then he left them standing there, looking at each other.

"So," Fitz said awkwardly, "how are you, Thalia?"

"I've been better," she sighed, looking at him. "How about you?"

"I've been okay," he shrugged. "Thinking about this whole suit stuff. Why does he need a suit if he already has superpowers?"

"It's to augment his abilities in battle."

"So he wants to be more like you?"

"Gift wise, yes. It would be much more effective if it gets cold enough to hide his heat signature when undergoing stealth missions."

"You can do that?"

"To name a few," she pointed to the thermal goggles. "Watch."

Slipping the goggles on, he watched as the multitude of rainbow colors indicating Thalia's high body temperature suddenly became deep blues and purples. "That is amazing," his face split into an ear to ear grin as her body temperature then skyrocketed back into warm colors. He took the goggles off and she placed her head on her folded hands. "Hiding from thermal radiation."

"Not hiding. Simply faking being dead." She stood and the world tilted sideways. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit."

"I was gonna suggest that, you look really pale. Not to be rude or anything."

"No no, you're right," she replied, feeling very lightheaded. "I just...need some help getting back to--"

"Sure." Fitz came around to her side, looping his arm around her to help her back to her room. "Are you sure you're okay? I can always comm Simmons for advice."

Feeling her breath get stuck in her chest, she then began gasping for air, instead feeling like her lung was shriveling up. "Mack! Mack!" Fitz was yelling at the top of his lungs and he ran around the corner, the edges of his flannel fluttering in the wind.

"What is it, Turbo?"

"Thalia isn't breathing right and she's getting really pale and I think something's happening to her," Fitz explained in a rush of air as Mack laid her out on the floor.

"Can you try and tell me what's going on?" He prodded gently. Instead she continued to wheeze and pant in an odd manner, a cold sweat breaking out over her brow. "I'm not a doctor, Fitz, you need to help me."

Cautiously sliding a hand under her back, she wheezed in pain, and when he lifted the hem of her shirt, Mack's face paled. "Go find one of the med staff."

"What is it?"

He pulled the hem back, and Fitz's jaw dropped at her abdomen, which was awash with deep and dark bruising. "She's going into shock from how much blood she's losing. She bleeding internally and I can't stop it, now go!"

He ran down the hall and Mack held her head, her short and erratic gasps for air scaring the hell out of him. "Just hang on, Thalia," he said urgently. "Fitz is gonna find someone who'll help."

Her skin became cold and clammy, then she let out a deep, heavy rush of air before her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He rocked back and forth on his heels, standing when Fitz returned, Claire at his side. "Shit," she swore, falling to her knees. "I need one of you to get ahold of Doctor Simmons. I need the other one to get down to the med bay and have a room prepped for surgery. Now!"

Both ran off in different directions while she pulled on a pair of gloves. "Thalia, open your eyes and look at me," she ordered. "Do you understand what's happening?" Claire ripped open the packaging of a large barreled hypodermic needle. "You are undergoing a mass internal hemorrhage of unknown origin and in order to find the source, I need you to stay very still. Unfortunately, I won't be able to give you anesthesia."

And the last thing she saw was Claire raising the needle up high, her arm coming down and making her vision go black.  
***  
Coulson entered the small lounge area, where Daisy, Lincoln, Joey, Elena, Jemma and Donnie were, each in their respective little worlds. Daisy and Lincoln played Battleship, Joey comforted Elena in Spanish while Jemma treated a bullet graze on her arm and Donnie had his earbuds in, playing a game on his phone. When the holocom rang, he answered it, coming face to face with Fitz, Mack and Claire. "We need to speak with Simmons right now."

He turned, and Jemma had moved onto Donnie, gently prodding his ribs. "What's wrong?"

"Thalia fainted on the lab floor." Claire raked a hand through her hair. "Her bleeding is back, with a vengeance. Blood is filling up her abdominal cavity and is starting to compress her organs."

"Jemma," he called her. "We got a situation at base that begs for your attention."

"Coming," she called back, power walking into the room. "What is it, sir?"

"Thalia is displaying ecchymosis in her abdomen."

Jemma turned to Claire. "Her bleeding came back?"

"I've got her on the floor here trying to figure out what to do until the med staff gets here."

"Well, when this bleeding was happening the first time, it was from deceleration-based trauma to her liver, so you're going to need to perform an emergency laparotomy to check and make sure there's no residual damage to it. Relay the order to keep fluids on standby and have at least two pints of AB- compatible blood ready for transfusion."

"Got it. I had to jam a bore into her chest because the bleeding had put pressure on one of her lungs and made it collapse."

"Then this needs to happen now. Her liver is rich in blood supply and if it's damaged and she's bleeding that much--"

"Then she can die," Claire nodded. "Then I'm gonna have to hang up."

"Fitz, keep me updated!" Jemma ordered before the screen went black. She ran an unsteady hand through her hair as she left the holocom, making Daisy and Lincoln look up.

"You okay?" Daisy asked gently.

"Thalia relapsed."

Lincoln and Daisy shared a scared glance. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"I wish I knew. We haven't been able to get in touch with Amora. So if it turns bad, we might be out of luck."

Elena muttered softly to Joey, and he translated, saying, "Yo-Yo said she'll put her in her prayer and hope God can help."

"The only god that girl needs help from is her aunt."

When Elena expressed confusion, Joey and her began having an elaborate conversation, with Joey making gestures that looked like lightning and rubbing his arms for cold. She raised an eyebrow, and then he pointed at Donnie and his left ring finger. "Ella es su novia."

"Oh," Elena nodded. She asked Joey to translate for her and then approached Donnie. Tapping his knee, he looked up, pulling out his earbuds.

"Hm?"

She spoke a short phrase to Joey to translate until Donnie replied brokenly in Spanish and French. "What?"

"Spanish, French and a handful of other languages are Romance languages, so they share the same roots and words across languages. That and I'm assuming his school made him take some mandatory foreign language class before we got him and sent him to the Academy."

Nodding, Elena then returned to her seat, sitting while holding her tiny cross and muttering softly to herself. Donnie looked at his phone screen with worry before shutting it off. "Coulson, we're pulling up on the drop. Everybody needs to get in gear."

~*~

"She's okay," Claire sighed. "Somehow when we went in yesterday, we missed a whole piece of metal about the size of my thumb that was digging itself out of her liver. Tore her up badly."

"She'll be okay?"

"Yeah. I have myself posted outside of their room for observation and making sure it heals up. Right now she's sleeping. After everything she's been through, as her charge nurse I say let her sleep. She's exhausted and will likely sleep through the rest of the day into tomorrow."

"Thank you, Claire," Fitz said nervously. "Thalia's a sweet girl."

"She is."

Mack nodded. "As acting director, I'll arrange your transport back to Hell's Kitchen."

"Even with her regenerative healing, it could be a few days until she heals up completely. I'll ask politely that I stay until I'm certain she's okay enough for me to leave."

"I'll grant it," Mack nodded. "From what people around here say, she's a genius. I need my geniuses pumping on all four cylinders."

Claire nodded, switching the dim lights off. "When will everyone be back?"

"Tomorrow at the earliest, from what Coulson tells me."

When a lull had settled into the conversation, everyone parted ways. Claire settled into her seat, digging her phone out of her pocket. A text was on the screen.

_Sam: sorry I left so quickly._

_Claire: why? U did nothing wrong._

_Sam: but I did. I got them hurt._

_Claire: no you didn't. There was a drunk driver that shouldn't have been behind the wheel. Nothing more to it._

_Sam: I'm just gonna lay low until it blows over. Seems like the wise thing to do at the moment._

_Claire: alright. I'm gonna take a well deserved nap._  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Donnie dodged another bullet, spraying the shooter into an ice cocoon. "I got the last one!" He yelled behind himself, and Daisy charged forward, knocking down the door.

"You hold the doorway, we've got recently Turned that have been kidnapped and held hostage. We need you to secure the hall so we can get them out."

He nodded. Daisy and the others went inside, and he watched the empty hall. As Lincoln and Jemma were examining each person, he watched the helmet's interface scan each person. "I'm getting something weird coming off these people."

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked.

"Each of them has some strange chemical cocktail pumping through them but it's not serving any drugging purpose." The interface hummed. "Maybe it's a dormant drug that is working out of each person's system?"

"No, they would have made note of that," he muttered. "Hey, did you guys know they're drugged?"

"Yes," Simmons called. "They'll be sent to the closest medical facility that can take them all at once."

He nodded. Returning to his scan of the hallway, he remembered his dismantling of the security measures; just simply putting a hand to to the sloppily hidden breaker box and watching the entire thing light up in sparks. He then received a clap to the back of the head when that also killed the rest of the power in the process.

"They're not drugged, they're waiting to be activated," Donnie whispered. "Guys, it's Hydra!"

And then hell broke loose.

It was truthfully kind of sad how easily they were taken down. It only took seconds and they were all rounded up in the center of the room, their tech confiscated. "I'm still reading that one of them has something."

"Really? How could one of us have stuff still on us? You even took out her earrings," Daisy spat, gesturing towards Jemma.

"Him," one of them pointed at him. "So, if it isn't the infamous One That Got Away. How's life treating you?"

He smiled easily. "It's treating me to the smug satisfaction that you work _so_ high up in Hydra yet you don't even know my name."

"No, but I do know her name," one of them smirked. "Thalia, is it? She is awfully gorgeous and such; and she does leave much to the imagination." When Donnie continued to gaze at them boredly, they laughed. "What? No defending her honor? Or swearing on your life that if we lay a finger on her, you'll end our lives?"

"Nope." He smirked in return. "I don't need to stroke your ego with my words. You do enough of that yourselves."

_Donnie?_

As the conversation between the bad guys continued, he closed his eyes. _Thalia, it's good to hear you._

_I heard what's happening. I'm going to need you to make it very cold._

_On it._ Touching the floor, he began chilling the room dramatically. When one of them opened the door to let some heat in, to his shock and surprise Thalia burst through, swinging her staff into the man's face. "What the hell?"

"After all this time, you still think I'd let you go and put the life I saved at risk?" She touched her staff to their ropes and then smashed them, freeing the team. "Sorry. You're wrong."

"How'd you get here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She picked up his compacted suit off a nearby table and gave it to him with a soft smile. "Don't get yourself killed."

"We're going to have a long and serious talk when we get back."

"Mmhm." She pulled him forward and kissed him, earning soft grumbling from the team. Which then turned to shock as he pulled away and then saw a snow woman of Thalia. Touching her icy cheek, she was then flurried away by the sudden wind.

"She just--"

"Holy cow--"

"How is that--"

"Wow."

They all stood in silence and then they all shot strange looks at Donnie. "You just froze your fiancée."

"No," he shook his head, "I think she teleported here, or at least did something of that nature."

"Well this was a bust." Daisy retrieved Jemma's earrings, giving them back to her. "What did he mean, you had something metal on you?"

"No clue. Agent Simmons didn't work on my ribs except to tape them, so maybe the doctor that did put pins in my ribs?"

"It's possible. One of your ribs was snapped in half." Jemma fastened her earrings. "So, let's head home, shall we?"  
***  
Cracking her eyes open, she looked around the room, finding Claire to be missing from her usual spot next to the door. Chatter was alive in the hall, but when she managed to hobble towards the door, it flashed a large sign on the glass that read, "You are not permitted to leave."

"Well, crap," she winced lightly, feeling her gown begin to stick to her stomach. Slowly making her way to the bathroom, she shut the door behind her, pulling loose the ties that held her gown together.

Blood seeped from the long, vertical incision in her chest, starting between the center of her ribs and stopping below her ribcage. She gasped lightly, reaching for a paper towel to blot away the blood. Her hair fell over her breasts, covering them when she heard someone enter the room. "I'm in the bathroom!"

"So how did you end up in a Hydra facility in Russia?"

She briefly looked up, then turning back to blotting her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"Thalia Lorelei Quinn," Donnie said mock threateningly, "Everyone saw you. You turned into a blizzard and left."

"Did I?" She turned around, looking up at him. "Speaking of which, how did your mission go?"

"Fine and Thalia, these are clear glass windows. You're going to accidentally flash someone."

"Now, now, you're beginning to make me think you're jealous."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious." He bent down to kiss her, frowning at her ribs. "What happened?"

"Laparotomy. Apparently a huge chunk of metal was sticking out of my liver."

"Thalia," he sighed against her forehead. "It'll heal," he murmured to himself before crashing his lips down on hers. She moaned softly at the impact, feeling the skin pull together and heal up. Scooping her up into his arms, Donnie carried her to the bathroom.

"Mon lune, your ribs!"

"Last I checked, my ribs aren't at my waist." Shutting the door behind him, he put her down on the counter. "I'm not all shot up, am I?"

"No. Your ribs don't look too bad." She lifted the hem of his skintight shirt, exposing the compression wraps. "Did wearing this help?"

"It made me really thankful I didn't have to wear skintight pants."

"Strange."

"What?"

She looked up briefly. "I don't remember asking for your opinion. But you know, I could be wrong. I was being quite subjective, after all."

"Yes, it helped," he remarked with a smirk. "You're so mean to me."

"Oh boohoo." Working her hand under the fabric, she pulled it over his head. As she began to unwind the wraps, she traced her finger around the bruise. "That's good. It's fading."

"But are my ribs healing?"

"They are. _Slowly_ ," she emphasized. "Now let me get the bandage and then you can get in the shower."

"Won't you join me?"

"No, you've got Russian sleaze all over you."

"I've touched you, he's on you now, too." Donnie gathered her in his arms, molding his mouth to hers. Hoisting her up and gripping her thighs, his lips moved slowly against hers. When they parted, she whimpered, softly kissing him again.

"So that's still a no?"

She chuckled. "Damn your uncanny perceptiveness." Coming up flush against her, she shuddered heavily. "Oh God, you know how I hate when you do that."

"Like Grandpa Donald said, fighting red coats does give one 'a most horrible cockstand'."

She chuckled. "Did he also say that I would happen to find myself extremely aroused by this?"

"He'd find it to be a great accomplishment that I managed to make love to you among others." His thumb pressed into her exposed hipbone. "Although knowing you, I'd have to agree and say that would be _quite_ the accomplishment, don't you think?"

Chuckling softly, he set her down, allowing her to gather supplies while he entered the shower. While her nimble fingers applied different cleaning solutions to his ribs, he cocked an eyebrow.

"So, turning to snow. That's an impressive trick, even for you," Donnie remarked, turning on her in the small shower. She looked up, doe-eyed, as she held the shower head over his ribs to rinse away the cleanser. "Don't bat your eyes and give me that look, Thalia, I know it was you."

She turned to hang the shower head up on its stand. "And you can prove this how?"

"Like this." He circled her waist with his hands, rubbing up her ribs until he stopped under her arms. From there, he extended his fingers, sliding his hands forward until his palms brushed the sides of her breasts.

"Oh wow, real original,"she laughed. "And while I do appreciate you holding my boobs for my bra, I do usually take a little more seducing for me to crack for you, mon lune."

"I forget," he whispered in her ear, "you require much more... Creative methods of persuasion." His last four words sent pleasant tingles and chills down her spine and across her body.

"Fortunately, I'm in a rather gratuitous mood. I'll admit--"

"That you were in Russia?"

"That it feels nice when you hold me like this," she answered honestly. "I appreciate it."

His arms circled her waist, and he slowly spun them in a circle, humming the tune to Arctic Monkeys' "R U Mine?" in her ear.

"Oui, je suis," she hummed along to the tune. "Now stay still and let me bandage your ribs. Then you can kiss me."  
~*~  
Passing their room, Daisy managed to catch a glimpse of something through the door. With the glass now frosted in dark tones for privacy, she peered through the crack in the door, seeing a blur as Thalia's back met the doorframe of the bathroom door. Donnie's mouth melded with hers, and he pulled himself flush against her. His hands ghosted up the backs of her thighs, picking her legs up and wrapping them around his waist.

_Spying is very rude, Daisy._

She jumped at the sudden sound of Thalia's reprimanding in her head. Moving along, she entered the debriefing room. "So, who wants to tell me how that went completely to hell?"

"Because it was a ruse from Hydra, with its intent to likely trigger Donnie's brainwashing again. Except Thalia removed it and it didn't work."

"Then surely they'd have some kind of backup plan." Coulson looked around the room. "Where's Donnie?"

"Indulging in the fact that he doesn't work for us and is likely getting laid. Anyways," Daisy sat at her spot and turned to face Coulson.

"Wait a minute, just because he isn't an agent means he's not required to show up? Then why the hell are half of us here? Joey, Yo-Yo and I aren't agents."

"You, much like Donnie and Thalia, are more or less consultants, so you're called in when needed." Coulson answered Lincoln. "Does that answer your question?"

"Why are we keeping his mom in lockup then? Surely there's a reason why she's still here?"

"We're studying whether Inhumanism can be passed down to children if either parent has direct ancestry."

"Daisy's mother was Inhuman and she's an only child. In Inhuman families, normally only one of the children, most commonly the oldest, will be the one to receive the gene; and that is if the family has multiple children. One child families are stupidly common among our kind because multiple children are rather difficult to conceive. Take Lilah's story for example. Donnie was going to have a younger sister but she was stillborn. Inhumans can't normally have multiples. There you go. Problem solved. He's Inhuman, move on."

"But--"

"No buts! His mom's Inhuman, he's Inhuman, case closed."

Coulson frowned. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because his results came back shortly after we did. Everything's clear across the board. Donald Vincent Gill is one hundred percent Inhuman."  
~*~  
"We get to go home now, after four days in the hospital. Thank you," she giggled softly as their lips pressed together. "No more giving me whiplash on whether we're married or not."

"Here," he passed her the duffel. "Personal hygiene stuff."

As she packed their belongings, Lincoln entered the room. "Hey, can I talk to you two?"

"Sure, but make it quick. It's movie night at home tonight."

"After a stroke of luck, I found a DNA sample to test of his, and--"

"Hold up. Where did you get one?"

"Simmons said I should tell you, but I'm honestly too ashamed to even utter it aloud."

Thalia squinted, then her lip curled in disgust. "Oh, wow, now I understand."

"Yeah, so... Anyways, I tested it and...I have some news."

"Oh, so the news _isn't_ that you went rooting through our trash for a used condom?" Thalia had a cross look on her face to match the movement of her arms. "Because if that isn't, I'd love to hear what _is_."

"Wait, what?" Donnie spun around. "Do what?"

"Doctor Dumbass went through our trash at home for one of your condoms."

"Dude, yuck," Donnie frowned. "It's called asking. Although even then, I probably still would've said 'yuck' and 'no'."

"Besides that, it seems that he's tested positive for Inhumanism."

"Like as a carrier for the gene?" Donnie approached them. "I know my mom's Inhuman, but--"

"No, as in underwent Terrigenesis and everything."

Time seemed to still. "I'm Inhuman?"

"You didn't know?" Lincoln looked confused. "One thing not one of us seems to forget is our Terrigenesis experience. How do you not remember?"

"You act like I should have an explanation." Donnie frowned. "But maybe... Maybe Morocco?" He asked Thalia. "Maribel Del Mar?"

"It was spread--It's completely possible, you were down there for God knows how long--" Thalia sighed sharply. "We'll find out; I promise. I know for a fact that I'm not going to leave you because you're part alien. Hell, lune, I'm _half_ alien. As soon as we get everything settled in back at home, I'll send for samples of the water from the Mediterranean. Isolate the different properties and see if we can't find Terrigen." She spared a glance at Lincoln. "Is there any way to determine how long he's been Inhuman?"

"None I can find, and I specialize in treating Inhumans."

"We'll figure it out. We usually do." She stroked his cheek. "I promise. I got engaged to you knowing full and well that I would love everything unconditionally. This is no exception."

Lincoln watched their exchange; Donnie smiled softly and whispered something in French to her, kissing her forehead. "Get your things," he told her gently. Pulling the zipper shut on his bag, he hefted it onto his shoulder. He then quietly left the room with Thalia at his side.  
~*~  
Looking next to him, he smiled at Thalia, who slowly bit cheese off the end of her slice of pizza. With her gaze transfixed on the movie, she sucked the strings of cheese into her mouth, the ends hanging from her bottom lip and making him chuckle. Her gaze then fell upon him, eyebrow raised. "What?"

"You have cheese hanging from your lip."

She sucked the cheese into her mouth. "Get your mind out of the gutter, it's movie night."

"Why is it you get to choose when we have sex?"

"Because your ribs are still broken."

"I still don't get any say even when they aren't broken."

"I don't want you to feel like I'm doing it to shut you up. I want both of us to enjoy it."

"Well gee, Thalia, tell me how you really feel."

"Full and happy," she sighed in content. He rubbed his fingers across hers, and their joined hands sparked. "Maybe I've already figured out your Inhuman abilities. Some kind of electrical manipulation. Or at least some kind of tolerance."

"What if it's my ice abilities?"

"Could be. The accident allowed you to chill things into ice, but maybe Terrigenesis allows you to make ice on your own. After all, I can do that."

"Which begs the question." Donnie reached forward and grabbed the remote, pausing their movie. "How is it that you survived being given Inhuman blood?"

"Dad has to have some dormant Inhuman blood in his family tree somewhere. I mean he hasn't gone through it himself, so we'd never actually know for sure if he does or not. And I'd rather it stay that way."

"So it's possible your dad could be Inhuman, but you don't want to find out?"

"Nope. None whatsoever." She resumed their movie. "Because if he was, then you'd have to wonder whether I'm actually Inhuman or Asgardian. But I'm clearly the latter, so it would suggest that those genes were stronger than dormant Inhuman genes. That and it gives me too much of a headache to wonder. So there. I'm not going to pull that thread. I'm going to snip it and leave it be."

"Sorry for bugging you."

She slid into his lap. "There's no need to be, lune. You were simply curious. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Why do you call me lune? I know what it means, but why moon?"

"Moon is a counterbalance, a ruler of the water. Without you, there would be no waves; and while that isn't necessarily something one would find important, there is a lot of uses for roaring waves. Like ocean powered electricity." Thalia stroked his cheek. "But even as you are mon lune, you are also much more. Tu est mon tempête de neige, mon blizzard," she whispered softly.

"What does that last part mean?" Donnie asked softly, leaning in. "I'm not on weather yet."

"It means, where I go, you go, my Blizzard," she whispered softly. "I am your mistress, coming when I call you, giving me strength and power."

"Mistress is a bit of an overkill, don't you think?"

"Shut up and kiss me," she ordered, kissing him sideways.

"No no, it's movie night, get your mind out of the gutter," he mocked her. Reaching for the remote, she turned it off.

"Now it's not." She pulled him forward and kissed him hard. Gnashing their teeth together, one of them moaned at the shock that passed through them. "You damn fool. What part of 'stay safe' didn't get the memo?" Thalia scolded him mid-kiss.

He whined softly when she broke their kiss. "You tease me," he replied roughly. "The answer is most fascinating. How about there was Hydra that we didn't know about?"

"And you couldn't use your powers to--"

"Stop complaining," he pulled her back in and kissed her again. "I'm here."

"You better be."

Sucking her lip into his mouth, she shuddered, goosebumps making her hair stand on end. Then he let it go, smoothing her hair back. "I am."

She nodded in agreement and they kissed again. "Oh, Sam!" Jumping off the couch, beginning to search her purse. "The file!"

"What?"

"The NYVU file! Sam gave it to me," she explained. Plugging it into the free USB port on the DVD player, the file opened itself. "You want to go through it with me?"

"Sure," he answered, and she sat down in his lap.

"You might want to take care of that. It's becoming quite a nuisance."

"Well, 'it' was being taken care of until someone got sidetracked. So you're going to have to deal with it."

"Okay then, grab some blankets. We can camp out here while reviewing the file. What do you think?"

"Fine."

"I'm gonna brush my teeth and change real quick."  
~*~  
The morning sky filtered through the glass, filling the room with a warm glow. Pulling the blanket tighter, she cracked open an eye. Laying on her stomach, she was surrounded with blankets and Donnie's arms, the tv shutting itself off from disuse. Slipping her hand under his, she laced their fingers together. His ring shimmered into existence, rubbing against hers and making her smile in the soft morning light. "Good morning, husband."

"Good morning, wifey." He pulled her under his blankets, turning her onto her back and brushing her hair from her face. Then he kissed her, her sleepiness giving him a short hair ruffle.

"Ooh, and so much before breakfast," she then gasped as his tongue traced her lower lip. Slowly, she savored such an intimate yet amusing moment: her _husband_ begging her to let him French kiss her. But as long as the moment was, it occurred within a second, and then it was gone. "Donnie, can we go out on a daylong date?"

Smooching her one last time, he then looked up at her. "Of course. Do you got an idea of what you want to do?"

When someone tapped on the back door, she looked up, seeing a set of sneakered feet. "It's Sam. Come in!"

"Where are you two at?"

"Over here-- Eek!" Thalia began laughing as Donnie nipped her earlobe and tickled her. Sam was then standing over them as she began begging, "Donnie, stop, please!" while she giggled hysterically.

"Are you two lovebirds done playing gooseberry yet? I'm on a tight schedule and would rather not get my ass chewed by Coulson because you two decide to have sex on your bedroom floor."

"Do I look 'just loved' to you? No?" Thalia asked. "Stay out of my business. It's not my fault you don't have a girlfriend."

"Coulson wants to know how you two managed to travel through time to the Scottish Highlands in _1745_ ," Sam raised his chin. "So how about I get the no nonsense version of this story?"

"No nonsense. I was transported to my castle to spend time with mon amour."

"So you have a castle now?"

"Yep. It was a gift from my aunt."

"Okay, it's not even eight in the morning and you two are already giving me a headache. If you two don't show up at base in an hour, I will come back here."

He turned around and left the way he came, locking the door behind him. "Now _why_ would he think that all we do is find time is have sex with one another?" Thalia asked teasingly, only to feel the hem of her nightshirt slowly being hiked up until he kissed the underside of her right breast, gently taking the skin between his teeth. Blood immediately made her cheeks burn, and she hung her head, a soft moan passing her lips. "Oh, _that's_ why," she answered huskily. "Leave it to me to marry a teenage boy with an insatiable sexual appetite. It was my fault; I didn't let you go out and experiment more."

"You let me do plenty," he remarked, flipping her onto her back and running his hands down her thighs. "Because if I do recall, _you_ are the experimenting that I have engaged in."

"We have an hour, I gotta get dressed." She sat up, coming to her feet. "So you better get up. Can't ogle Anna's ex from the floor."

"What?" He put a hand to his chest. "You insult me."

"Aw, husband, are you getting a crush on Sam?"

"It makes me jealous," he admitted in her ear. "He knows all your secrets. It makes me wonder whether Anna had the same...sweet spots that you have."

"And where would those be?"

"Now shame on you, Thalia." He ducked around the couch, pulling his clothes from his drawers. "We're in a rush, remember?"

"And I realize this, mon amour," she kissed his shoulder. "But we can't go."

"What?"

"Just got a text from Agent Simmons. She said they're having a possible containment breach and to not come by until they contain it." She gracefully fell back to their blanket fort. "So we got a free day."

"Well in that case, I have two things to say to you. One," he held up a finger, "I have great plans for today. And two, maybe I do have a slight crush. What's it to you?"

"As your wife, it makes me feel better when I can help. And aw, Donnie, you have a type!" Inspecting her fair skin, she then commented, "Which now makes me wonder why the hell I have your ring on my finger."

"So I happen to be mildly attracted to Latinos," Donnie pointed out with a shrug. "You realize you dated a Latino before meeting me. Turns out I'm not the only one."

"I never said you were," she laughed. "I said it was cute you have a type. For both types: Latino boys and dark haired girls."

"Oh," he huffed out a laugh, "so you don't?"

"I do. It's called Donnie."

He laughed. "Smooth."

"Like the hair you love tangling your fingers in when you kiss me."

"Again, where does this come from? I'd need a three days' notice to be as smooth as you right now."

"My big brain," she pointed to her head. He chuckled, reaching down and lifting her up, making her shriek in temporary fear when he did it easily, holding her by only her legs. "Donnie! Put me down!"

"Wow," he chuckled in awe. "So being Inhuman does have its perks."

"Like being able to lift your wife off the ground and scare the hell out of her? You do that normally!"

"No, enhanced strength."

"Still hanging here! I'd like to be put down now!"

"Sorry," he set her on her feet. "Still getting the hang of this."

"Me too, mon lune," she whispered softly, kissing his knuckles. "It makes me feel bad admitting that I always knew there was something up and now I know what it is." She looked up at him. "We need to find out what you do."

"Excuse me?"

"Your Inhuman abilities. You can freeze things, but we need to know if there's anything else that you can do."

"Wait a minute, it's coming back to me," he snapped his fingers, holding his hand away when they accidentally sparked. "That. That came to me. I was scared you weren't going to wake up, so I cradled your head between my hands and I thought it was you at first, but sparks passed between us and you woke up."

"And? I wasn't conscious, you're gonna need to paint this picture."

"And you woke up. I thought it was from your bioelectricity recognizing me or something like that, but that was _me_ , I... I jump started your brain. I brought you out of it."

"So then we need to tell Daisy. She keeps a handle on all Inhuman ops at S.H.I.E.L.D., so we need to notify her as soon as possible."

"Which won't be for a while until they can contain their breach."

"Then we get Sam to act as our proxy so we can contact Lincoln." Picking up her phone, she dialed his number. "Sam, you got a comm that can reach base, right?"

"Um, yes? Why?"

"We need to comm someone with the codename Sparkplug. Can you patch it through?"

"What's the message?"

"From Blizzard and Khione, we have info on new Inhuman abilities. Contact when able."

"Khione? That's cute, Thalia. Alright, it's patched through."

"Thank you. So why did you need to have us come to base?"

"Well, that was supposed to be so we could review the different parts of the NYVU file, but I just got wind of this breach thing, so it'll have to be held off until a later time."

"Sam, sweetheart, you can swing by here and view it with us. We already got the file here and everything. Hell, we can even pop popcorn."

"Are you sure? I don't mean to impose."

"Samuel Alexander, this house has _seven_ bedrooms and _six_ bathrooms. It already feels too big with Donnie, Dad, Aunt Amora and I here. If you want to, you can pack a bag and stay the night. We don't care."

"Oh well okay. I guess. See you guys in a bit."

She hung up the phone. "There. Done."

"'Sweetheart'? What, do you find him endearing now?"

"He's my friend, lune."

"Well as your husband I find it mildly irritating."

"Well as your wife, I assure you, mon amour, there is nothing going on." He kissed her forehead, and she smiled. "Come on, we are going to be entertaining a guest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	35. A.K.A Nephilim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! School started back up (I'm in public school now!) so this had to be put on hold until today. As always, I love you guys.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she languidly stretched. "Are your ribs alright?"

"Yeah, they're fine." Donnie sat up, Thalia fixed her nightgown strap and then lifted his arm, showing the full area. "See?"

"Yeah, they're looking good. Still broken though." She watched her fingers pale to snow white before running them across his ribs. Curls of frost spread where her fingers strayed. "I'm sorry, mon amour."

"Why?"

"I tried to stop him, but he was so out of it, it practically made me feel drunk and hungover at the same time. It infected me and I couldn't even think--I then tried to stop the car but I--"

"No, don't even start. You absorbed the effects of complete drunkenness off a stranger. The fact you were anywhere near 'sober' enough to switch seats and save my life is extraordinary." She frowned slightly, and he smoothed the lines forming between her eyebrows. "Amora said once that Asgardians possess inhuman levels of alcohol tolerance, so maybe you being so tolerant helped."

"Intolerant of being tolerant," she snickered softly. "My saving grace."

They sat in bed that way, with Donnie running his fingers over her jaw. After a soft knock at the door, it opened and Sam stepped through. "Morning, Sam," she yawned. "Sleep well?"

"You could say that," he chuckled. "So how much longer are you looking at having those?" Sam asked Donnie.

"Another month or so," he shrugged.

"Five weeks," Thalia corrected, "unless this genius decides to break them again."

"You're funny," he laughed dryly.

"Just a question," Sam volunteered, "but why use compression wraps on his ribs if the practice was discontinued due to the high risk of pneumonia?"

"If he was gonna get pneumonia, Sam, he would've gotten it by now. The normal causes of it in humans is colds, flu, things like that. But he can't get those, so the only way he could get it now is if it's from low oxygen saturation of the blood. Which again, isn't a problem with him because his core temp is hovering around forty-four degrees, lowering his breathing rate and heart rate. Everything decreased proportionally."

"Why can't he get sick?"

"You know those people that you hear Coulson talk about that descended from aliens and they undergo an event that gives them superpowers?"

"Fuzzy on the topic, but yes, I've heard him talk about it sometimes. Inhumans, right?"

She nodded. "He's Inhuman."

"Really?" Sam crossed his arms. "I've never seen one before."

"You two are making me feel like an exhibit at the zoo."

"And I'm your caretaker that loves you, so be quiet." He laughed when she placed her hand over his mouth. Sam laughed, and Donnie could feel his cheeks burn.

 _Your thoughts are so loud he could almost hear you fawning over him,_ Thalia teased him mentally.

_Shut up._

_You blushed when he laughed, mon amour. You're totally crushing on him._

_I have a moral duty to you, wifey._

_So I should stop teasing you about it?_

_It would be a wise idea._

"You two are so odd. You guys look like you're communicating mentally, you're that close."

"Oh no, we are."

"He can _do_ that?"

"'He' is right here and no, 'he' can't. She's the telepathic one."

"I understand why the team took to calling you Neph," Sam chuckled. "It makes sense now."

"Neph?"

"Nephilim, that was your code name when you worked on-site with us."

"This wasn't in the file," Thalia said, clearly awed.

"Well of course it's not. That's mission histories, other mundane details. Anna kept that file locked down; not even I knew where she kept it. But I got enough memory of it."

"Can I look?"

"Sure."

He approached the bed. When she touched his forehead, his memories slammed into her.

_"Okay, are we clear for execution here?" Sam whispered as he adjusted his position on a fire escape. "Because we do not have all day."_

_"White Tiger, online. I'm inside and looking at a whole group of them."_

_"How many?"_

_"Sixteen," a voice was heard in his earpiece._

_"Are you one of webhead's friends? Because he's supposed to be here." White Tiger and Sam then asked, "So who is this?"_

_"Is this channel secure?"_

_"It should be, Neph encrypted it."_

_"I am Cindy, but your webhead friend called me. His aunt is very ill and he has to care for her."_

_"Make a quick one on your rosary, White, from the both of us," Sam muttered. "What's your codename?"_

_"Silk."_

_"Well then Silk, here's the lowdown. Neph reported a strange anomaly of drug mules working for Hydra."_

_"And it isn't really their style," White added. "So when she reported it, we were tasked to investigate. Neph intercepted communications of a huge drug thing going down at this address in ten minutes, so here we are, waiting for Neph to show up so we can get this whole thing on the road."_

_"Nova, you assume that just because you can't see me means I'm not here," Anna's voice chastised him. "I've been here waiting for webhead to show."_

_"Where are you?"_

_"Just now getting off stage, DJ Venom was due for an appearance at the club. I saw a pair of Steve Madden's 'Gabriella' booties on clearance at Nordstrom and I need the dough for them."_

_"You almost compromised the mission because you wanted new boots?" Sam frowned. "Neph, you're killing me here."_

_"I wasn't gonna ask you to buy them. You do with your commission what you want, but my tastes require more than what I get every two weeks." Anna sighed. "This economy has gone to crap. Freelance vigilantes that save New York's ass on the reg, yet we only rake in 104k annually? We're literal superheroes yet the NFL pays a bunch of roid ragers almost twenty times more to throw a ball. I call bullshit."_

_"You know why, Neph, nobody wants to possibly get killed saving someone else's ass."_

_"So I heard we got a sub online. Welcome aboard, newbie." Anna laughed. "So, ready for the craziest show on earth?"_

_"I believe so."_

_"So, here's how this will go. Silk, Tiger, you two come in and take point. Nova will function as the distraction while we get their drugs and get out. No doubt they'll be pissed we got their stuff, so we all regroup on the roof."_

_"Got it."_

_Dropping down to the back door, Sam slipped inside, finding the interior to be filled with dancing bodies and pumping bass. Lights flashed and he looked around, finding Ava and a tiny Asian girl walk in hand and hand, separating and finding separate halves of the club. And then he saw Anna._

_She strode towards him, panic on her face. "Sam, we need to abort. Right now."_

_"What? Why?"_

_"They're not just carrying the drugs, it's in them!" she hissed. "They're quite the literal interpretation of the term drug mule. We have to abort, because not only do we know they're here, they know we're here. Pull everyone, and head up!" She sped towards the stairs._

_"Silk, White, pull out! Head for the roof!" he ran after Anna, and heard several pairs of footsteps gaining on him. When he burst through, he ran towards the ledge, jumping towards the fire escape. "Neph, where are you?"_

_Then he heard soaring wind and looked up, where she had landed on the roof's edge. To his surprise, their enforcements arrived, taking their assailants away. After brief conversation with Anna, they left, and Cindy came out from the shadows behind the maintenance door. "You are Neph? What's that short for?"_

_A pair of angel wings stretched from behind her. "Nephilim."_

_"Are those real?" Cindy asked in awe, reaching to touch them._

_"Exoskeleton type wings. Similar to the Exo-7 wings, except these are made to order. Small rocket packs are embedded in each one to help me achieve flight, their size balances out my weight. Now Cindy, do me a favor and keep in touch. The NYVU might take an interest in you."_

And then she looked at him. "Well?"

"I like the wings."

"You always did." Sam stood. "So I'm gonna get up and going."

"You can help yourself to breakfast in the kitchen." Their door shut, and she raised an eyebrow. "Are you done?"

His mouth gaped and he laughed. "With what?"

"Your blatant flirting."

"What part of 'I'm married' slips your grasp?"

"None. What part of 'I'm teasing you' does?" He scrunched his face up. "Aw, mon amour, you are so easy to tease."

"And you are easy to love," he smiled, capturing her lips and running his hands up her back. She parted, a broad grin on her face. "What are your plans for today?"

"Making sure you don't break your ribs again, mon mari. And if that means I have to follow you around, so be it. But I do need a shower. So you stay put. I'll be back."

Gracefully hopping off the bed, she sauntered to the bathroom. Following after her, he lounged in the doorway, watching her brush her hair. "Did you need something?"

He shook his head. "No, I just like watching you."

"How stalker-ish of you," she giggled, setting her hairbrush down. "And to answer your question, you can only join me if you're not facing the water. The pressure would irritate your ribs."

A small, open mouthed smile graced his features and he laughed. "Now why would you think that?"

She raised an eyebrow, reaching up and slipping off her nightgown. "Because I'm not an idiot," she snarked, entering the shower. And he just stood there, like an idiot, not thinking of how right she was but instead how it managed to slip past him that she wasn't wearing a thing underneath.  
~*~  
Entering the room, he was met with Donnie and Thalia sprawled out on the couch, Thalia tending to an oozing area of his ribs. "Gentle, gentle," she said quickly, blowing an icy gust of air into the area. "I tell you to be gentle and you've gone and ruptured this bruise. And you act all surprised."

"Hey, guys," Sam waved a hand, and both of them looked at him. "I got popcorn."

"Thanks," Thalia took the bag, placing it flat in the palm of her hand. Small sparks passed between them, and the bag began popping, filling with buttery popped corn.

"Wow!"

"Yeah, it's useful." She tossed him the bag. "And since it wasn't cooked with microwaves, the entire bag is safe to hold."

Ripping it open, he plucked a few kernels into his mouth as a movie started playing. " _The Incredibles_? I don't remember it being throwback Thursday."

"I do it to tease," Thalia tittered. "I say Frozone reminds me of him."

"Funny, I don't remember being black."

"Hush. I said he reminds me of you, not that he is you. Always so picky about everything." She shoved a few kernels of popcorn in his mouth, silencing him.

" _You say you're a super mega ultra lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good._ " Donnie's hand slid along her side, and she moaned softly, her hands sparking. Without his control, Sam felt his eyes darken. "Sorry guys. I gotta bail. Mom needs me."

"Oh, well you're always welcome, Sam," Thalia smiled wistfully. He gathered his things, pressing a kiss to her forehead before slipping out the back door. And then, Thalia felt something wet brush across her ear. "Oh holy hell--" she squirmed in his arms, and he laughed. "You," she scowled. "Stop that."

He chuckled. "I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, and I'm suddenly not smarter than you. Both things we know aren't true."

"You wound me."

She ran her fingertips across his chest. Then she reached up and kissed him lovingly. "I love you."

He reciprocated her kiss. "I love you too. And you know, I have to go back to work tomorrow."

"Then I'll go with you. No sense in getting back into the rhythm of things only to mess your ribs up and have you thrown out of it again." She joined him in watching the movie. "You know, I think whoever came up with the plot for this movie is prophetic."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, after Bob basically destroyed that man, the government started forcing superheroes to either register with the government or retire. And he wasn't going to risk outing his family, so he joined them and had to be relocated and only allowed to use his powers when he was told to. Sounds a little like the Accords, doesn't it?"

"To me, personally," Donnie shrugged, "I'm not a fan of it. They want superheroes to register with the government. And while by itself the idea doesn't sound bad, it gets bad when you factor in that the Rising Tide and Hydra and even old S.H.I.E.L.D. members could hack their systems and retrieve that list of names and abilities. And if they make full blown profiles of us? What would that mean? They'd want to know where they came from, what we do, if we have family so they can be tested for abilities as well. That'd put us in danger."

Thalia took his hand. "I worry over it too. What if they consider Inhumans dangerous and try to kill you? Even if you're on their side?"

"That Winter Soldier guy I keep seeing on the news," Donnie frowned. "He was good but was then brainwashed by Hydra and now they don't trust him. What if that happens to us? I mean we're on their good side _now_ , but what if we aren't anymore?" He then cast a worried glance at her. "What if they figure out what you are?"

Thalia looked at him. "Me? Why worry about me?"

"You're the only offspring of an Asgardian. They figure out what you are, you're gone. They'll take you, experiment on you, try to..."

"You need to worry just as much, mon amour. You're Inhuman; you have alien blood in your veins."

"You have performed heinous acts of terrorism under an alias that Hydra gave you!"

"And you killed twenty people in the Sandbox! Then at least fifteen Hydra agents and that one man who reported you in Marrakesh!"

"But you didn't _murder_ people."

"That wasn't you."

"They say the same thing about that Barnes guy, how am I any different?"

She laced their fingers together, tapping his finger and watching his ring show. "You still have your left arm."

He laughed dryly. "You're hilarious. Still, should it come to it, I'm not going to sign away my privacy. It sounds like Hydra all over again."

"I know." She agreed quietly. "I won't either."

"You mean you can't."

"Why not?"

"Because they'd take you away. Remember, nobody's ever heard of an Asgardian/human hybrid before. It was like in _True Blood_ , when during the vampire crisis, that Luna girl skinwalked as a vampire and publicly exposed shifters. If similar happened here, it would cause people to panic."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "You watch _True Blood_?"

"I have a life," Donnie defended himself.

"Not saying that. I'm saying that you have some...interesting tastes in favorite t.v. shows."

"And yours? Oh, that's right, you don't watch t.v."

She shoved him playfully. "Shut up."

And with his newfound strength, he shoved her back, making her fall out of his lap and onto the rest of the couch. "That may take a bit to get used to. To be clear though, I still am stronger than you."

"Prove it. I just threw your hundred and twenty-nine pound butt off me."

"Are you telling me my ass is huge?" Donnie laughed as she examined herself. "Now you're gonna get it."

"Wrong," he scooped her up, righting her and turning her back towards the tv. "We are going to finish this movie. And then afterwards, I'll show you True Blood."  
~*~  
Talbot fell in step with Coulson. "So how are the power couple doing?"

"Fine. Why?"

"If Thalia is a biological weapons expert, is it possible to synthesize a cure for Inhumanism?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Carla and I want to know the possibility of reversing it for our son."

"I have the best scientists telling me that it isn't possible."

"But she's two points smarter than Tony Stark."

"She's not currently on that project and I don't believe I'll be putting her on it, Glenn."

"And why not?"

"It's a conflict of interests."

"How is it a conflict of interests? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Because a loved one of hers is Inhuman."

"Everyone's got one! It's either a friend or a boyfriend or a husband or a family member! It's spread so far I'm willing to bet that you have an ancestor that was probably an Inhuman, Phil!"

"And while that may be so, also recognize that she has her own life to deal and come to terms with, along with the fact that a week ago, her and her fiancé were almost killed in a car crash. So no, I'm not going to put her to it because there are bigger problems at hand."

"Then why don't I ask her myself?"

"Because I said no!" Coulson turned on him. "And since I am director, and you take orders from me, I order you to not go and interrogate Thalia Quinn on the possibility of said cure for Inhumanism! Is that clear?"

Talbot scowled. "Yes sir." When Coulson turned away, he pressed a finger to his ear. "Kreel, get the car ready."  
~*~  
Clapping a hand over her mouth, they waited in silence while the echo of footfalls passed outside the garage door. "It's a shift change."

"I didn't know you had a truck," Thalia whispered. "Where did you get it?"

"Long time ago," he answered softly. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, pressing their foreheads together. Her hand covered his and they stayed like that for a while before parting. "It was Seth's."

"Oh." Her thumb smoothed over his hand. "I'm sorry. Just a question, but why are we in the garage again?"

"Just a little bit of privacy," he answered. "I was feeling nostalgic."

"Well then don't let me interrupt you," she said quietly. He squeezed her hands tighter. "Mon amour, I don't mind."

"I was also gonna drive out to CVS. If you wanted to come along."

"Sure," she nodded, making a quick spin to have her back facing the SUV door. "What for?"

"Just to walk around."

"Alright," she shrugged, turning her head slightly to open the door when his hand gently took hold of her chin, pressing her into the car door before he pressed his lips to hers. And she reacted like it was the most natural thing to do, her hands skimming along his arms and rising to her tiptoes. "Gentle with your ribs, mon amour."

"I know." He rubbed his thumb against her cheek as he kissed her again. The intercom then crackled to life. "What the--"

"If anyone has seen Miss Quinn, she has visitors that are on the porch."

"Later," she promised. Approaching the intercom, she pressed a small button and said, "On my way."

Taking a small hallway that exited back out in the dining room, she strode purposefully towards the front door, opening it and finding Talbot's face on the other side. "General."

"Miss Quinn, I came here to ask a favor." Talbot crossed his arms. "Coulson has been briefing me on the progress of a possible cure for Inhumanism. They've hit a bit of a wall, so I decided to help. Is it too much to ask if you could help out with it?"

"I was told that I'm not supposed to. Why the interest? It couldn't be because of your own Inhuman child, is it?"

"Coulson told you about that, didn't he?"

"It's interesting that you assume he did." Thalia crossed her arms. "Why is it you're so scared of what your child could be gifted with?"

"I could ask the same thing of your own Inhuman."

"It's macromolecules of foreign DNA imbedded in the double helix of his own, activated in the presence of an either liquified or aerosolized form of a chemical compound known as Terrigen. The foreign DNA doesn't activate any earlier because Terrigen wasn't a naturally occurring element in earth's surface, water or air, leading one to believe that it's of alien origin. Well, at least it wasn't naturally occurring until now."

Talbot pursed his lips, straightening himself. "Something tells me that you know more about this than you're letting on. And another question, why is it, in all of our encounters, I've not even seen his face?"

"Because you visit when he's working. Occam's razor is a lovely thing to consider." Thalia opened the door. "Since you don't have a substantial reason to be here, please leave."

A beefy arm wrapped around her neck. "I hate to have to do this."

"Really?" Thalia asked sarcastically, trying to squirm out of his grip and failing miserably. "You hate to hold me ransom?! In my own damn house?!"

"Thalia, what's going on?" Donnie ran in to face them, going pale under Talbot's gaze. "Lia? Are you okay?"

"You're that kid from Morocco," he pointed at Donnie. "The kid that the Moroccans were looking for that fell off that cargo ship. The ship that was full of crew that you killed!"

"I guess saying 'I was brainwashed by Hydra' is a bit redundant now, considering they did the same thing to you."

"You've got some nerve," Talbot spat. "Using a poor girl as your human shield."

"You've got some nerve assuming that I'm using her as a diplomatic shield. Note how I've not held her hostage because I want an impossible cure for my child."

Thalia brought her heel up behind her and Kreel howled in pain, dropping to the floor. She began coughing from the itch in her throat, and he simply grabbed her again, touching a hand to the marble floor and squeezing her neck with the now rock solid hand. "I just want to cure my son. He's too young to have superpowers."

"It's..." Thalia coughed weakly, her face turning red. "It's irreversible after exposure. Trying to strip the DNA would only kill him."

"And doing it before exposure?"

"There's no way to know. We can't possibly know who could be Inhuman--" she began weakly clawing at the marble hand, gasping out a strangled sound.

"Kreel," Donnie growled. "Put her down."

"He listens to me, not you."

Donnie then turned to Talbot. "Then tell him to put Thalia down before I do something that I will surely not regret."

Talbot chuckled. "You think that scares me? I've seen worse threats from younger kids."

"No doubt you haven't. But I don't think that younger kids with worse threats can make someone die from frostbite in under a minute, can they?"

"Put her down," Talbot barked, and when Thalia's feet met the floor, Donnie pulled her behind him.

"You threaten her like that again, and I'll make sure that frostbite doesn't leave you unscathed."

Talbot immediately whipped out his gun and Thalia laughed, saying in a raspy voice, "If I had a nickel for every time I've seen one of those..."

"That would explain how big your bank account is, am I right?"

"Talbot, what did I say about going and harassing young girls?" Coulson stepped through the front door. "Especially those with Inhuman loved ones?"

"Are you okay?" Donnie suddenly spun around and hugged her, tilting her jaw up with his thumb and kissing the red area of her throat.

Talbot's jaw dropped. " _He's_ the Inhuman?"

"And you're damn lucky you didn't piss him off. I've seen what he does to Hydra agents of any sort. Messing with his fiancée like that almost made me want to step back and let him kick your ass."

"Why is it he hasn't registered yet?"

"Both Thalia and him are naturalized Maltese citizens, and Malta wasn't one of the nations that agreed with the Accords."

"But they're residing in America."

"On a Maltese embassy. You realize he's now the future son in law of a man that makes evading the American legal system look like an art form. We can't legally do anything without retaliation. He'd have to sign it of his own free will."

"Well today is your lucky day," Talbot huffed. "Looks like your fiancée has been your saving grace."

Thalia pushed away from Donnie. "If I'm anyone's saving grace, it's yours. Because while he's only got a small amount of alien blood in him, you made a grave mistake bringing me into this." Holding her hand palm out, Talbot shivered profusely, beginning to buckle to the floor. "Inhumans will be the least of your problems if you piss me off."

"So you aren't Inhuman, yet not fully human. Is there--" Talbot's teeth chattered, "--something I'm missing?"

"No." Thalia steepled her hands, and Talbot rose, trying to rub warmth back into his body. "Just the vague threat of what will happen next time you threaten us." Thalia then ordered, "Now look at me."

When he did, she then slowly said, "You two are going to tell your supervisors that my fiancé and I need protection due to the belief that the Watchdogs would attempt to abduct us and force us to build a Terrigen bomb to turn Inhumans for genocide. You are horrified that someone would gleefully murder American citizens like that, and should this Watchdogs group's activities branch outside the U.S., it would prove disastrous for everyone involved." Chuckling softly, she then added, "Oh, and you do not remember that mon amour is Inhuman himself, but that you came to visit when you saw the Watchdogs scoping out our home and scared them off. You also don't remember that I threatened you with bodily harm or that I showed any display powers at all. Nod if you understand."

Both men nodded. "Coulson, would you escort our guests out?"

When he did, Donnie shut the door behind him. "You seem to hold your own in a fight pretty well."

"You act like this is new information," Thalia teased. "Come on, you need a final check-up before I clear you for work."

"Our room or the lab?"

"Room." Thalia made a pointing gesture towards their door and she sped into the bathroom, bending down to open the cabinet and retrieve the first aid kit. Donnie entered the room behind her, rolling his eyes slightly but still pulled his shirt off. "See what happens? Plot development. Gone from disliking first aid kits to them keeping your broken ribs in place."

"You're hilarious," he halfheartedly joked. "So what is it now?"

"The runaround, mon amour," she muttered in reply, unwinding his compression wraps. "Stay still," she ordered softly, pressing a splayed hand against the area. He hissed quietly, gritting his teeth while she touched her fingertips to the bruise. "Icing to dull the pain, four ibuprofen, and no heavy lifting. Also you're going to continue having to sleep sitting up. No shortness of breath?"

"A little."

"Were you running?" She pursed her lips slightly. "I can feel you don't have a fever, and you're not hacking up mucus, so also good signs. No other symptoms you can give me?"

He shook his head. "None I can feel."

"Good. Then the wraps can stay off."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they're looking much better. The bruising has gone down, and the swelling has too. I'll wrap them before you go to bed, but yes, mon amour, you can start having them off." Noticing his strange expression, she then asked, "Unless you _do_ want them on during the day?" She pulled off her gloves. "Are you alright?"

"I'm kinda sore," he shrugged. "I just wish people were more accepting. If they were, then people wouldn't try to kill us all the time."

"Inhumans?"

"Anyone they don't understand. Me, you, other Inhumans and things in-between. I'm married to the most gorgeous and intelligent person in the world, but they determine that based on screwed up ideals. It wouldn't matter if I were the smartest engineer in the world, they'd see that I have an ounce of alien blood in me and think I'm an abomination."

"You didn't sign, they will never know."

"All my life, I wanted somebody to notice me for me, not what I did. And now, I don't even want that."

Thalia cocked her head to the side. "And what is it you want now?"

"To keep us safe. To keep _you_ safe."

"That isn't an unreasonable thing to want."

"No, it isn't." He pulled his shirt back on. Bending down, he kissed her softly. "Thank you."

"Not a problem, mon amour," she smiled, distraction taking her elsewhere. "Here. Your pain medicine."

Swallowing the pills, he exhaled softly, watching her put the first aid kit under the cabinet again and leave the bathroom. Following her, he wrapped his arms around her. "You're a pain in my butt, you know."

"Oh am I?" She chuckled softly. "Who's been taking care of your ribs?"

"You have."

"Uh huh, and who's been giving you pain meds at regular intervals?"

"You talk too much," he turned her around. "You know that, right?"

"You complain too much," she retorted. "You know that, right?"

He smiled. "I love you so much," he answered, kissing her forehead. "Good thing I found you the first time around. Not sure what I would've done."

"You promised me _True Blood_ , mon amour."

"Right!" He picked her up, righting her when she was back on the couch. "How I managed to hide this from my dad is a mystery."

"At least it wasn't porn," she shrugged.

"Oh, if my dad found that, he'd be less disappointed in me than he is now."

"Damn, mon amour, did you live a rough life or what? Your dad would be more proud of you if there were _Snapper_ mags under you're bed than if you had a girl in it? Wow!" She scoffed. "Nice to know my father-in-law treats jacking off better than he does me." Taking off her house shoes, she leaned on the arm when he sat on the couch, taking her feet. "Are you going to rub my feet?"

He slid his thumb up the inside of her foot. "That'll distract you from what you've been bugging me to show you."

"Like that isn't now?" She slid forward, pressing one foot to the floor and the other to the underside of her left thigh. "Just play the show and shut up."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Well, it's not an unreasonable lie to come up with. The Watchdogs were seen in the area just a few days ago from a 'hunting' trip." Fitz rubbed his neck. "And according to our inside man, their leader is getting frustrated that they haven't found any more Inhumans. Most have gone into hiding, with each of them given a notice from an unknown source telling them to lay low."

"I'll give you two guesses and the first one doesn't count."

"You think Thalia did this, sir?"

"Donnie is Inhuman, Fitz. Thalia knows that, and wants to protect others with Inhuman loved ones. It's grade-school logic."

"So what do you want us to do, sir?" Jemma asked. "We can't scold her. That message went out to at least twenty recently Turned Inhumans. It probably saved their lives."

"No, but the way she was so calm and collected over it is what's bugging me. How did she know that she needed to send out a message? How did she know about those specific people?"

"We don't know."

"Then figure it out," he ordered. As he left the lab, Mack ran up to him. "Sir, we've got Watchdog activity."

Fitz then called, "Sir, we figured it out!"

"Figured what out, Turbo?"

"We cross-checked Anna's file and found that she would have these migraine episodes that had her spouting nonsensical information and names and such."

"Like that Inhuman that could show glimpses of the future?" Coulson turned to the duo. "Who else knew?"

"Sam."

"Get him here. Now."

When Fitz-Simmons scurried away, he turned to Mack. "Watchdog activity. Where?"

"Malibu."

"How many?"

"Social media counted almost ten."

"We need to lock it down. Get a team together and get a plane."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
He spared a glance at Thalia, who watched the t.v shut off with a curious expression. She then said, "There's more nudity in this than I thought."

"Threw me too, but when you get past it, it's quite good." Donnie's hand gripped hers. "So... What do you think?"

"It was okay," she shrugged.

"Thalia." Donnie spun her to face him, and he stroked her cheek. "What is it?"

"I just feel off," she shrugged, and he furrowed his brow. "Like there's something wrong but I don't know what it is."

"Medicine taken today?"

"Yes."

"Have you eaten?"

"I had some cereal earlier."

"Did you check the calendar?"

Now it was Thalia's turn to furrow her brows. "Why?"

"It's been a little over three weeks since you've been to your doctor? She said that after about three weeks with your combined birth control regimen, you should be getting a period around the end of the month?"

"Oh my God, thank you, you're a lifesaver," she perked up, pecking him on the forehead before dashing to the bathroom. After a few moments, he then heard her cheer. "Yes!"

"You are the strangest girl I've ever met. One who's happy to get a period," he muttered under his breath. Standing, he knocked on the bathroom door. "Everything okay in there?"

"Perfect!" Thalia sang. "But I seem to be out of supplies."

"Okay then, do you need me to run to CVS or something like that?"

"No, I have some floating around here somewhere, so could you check my drawers? Oh no wait, nevermind, I found them!" A few minutes later, she left the bathroom. "Thank you for reminding me."

"She said when you finally start, you have to call the office and let them know. Then she said you need to get one of those apps that track it so they can keep a detailed record."

"I'll do that later. But for now, could we just sit on the couch with the electric blanket? I can already feel myself beginning to cramp." She rubbed her lower stomach. "And besides, it'll give you the opportunity to work on controlling your sparking. Putting that power to good use."

"All I seem to do is overcharge things, Lia."

"That's why it's called practice." Thalia took the electric blanket from the foot of the bed and laid underneath of it on the couch. "Now, concentrate on powering it."

He twisted his mouth slightly, concentrating on turning the blanket on. "Good," Thalia praised him. "It's warming up. What are you experiencing right now?"

"My head feels like it's buzzing, sort of?" Donnie frowned. "Is this what it's like in your head? I really feel sorry for you."

"Well, if it feels like it's buzzing, then stop. Don't overexert yourself, mon amour."

"Quinn One has landed, repeat, Quinn One has landed."

Thalia frowned at her phone. "The hell-- Dad!" She jumped off the couch. "He's home!"

Donnie lost his concentration and the blanket lost power. He followed after her and he lounged in the shade, staying on the porch as she ran through the backyard and into Ian's arms. He smiled softly as they exchanged greetings, walking back to the house. "Donnie and I will cook dinner tonight and we can go out into town," he heard her suggest as they neared the porch. Ian laughed.

"Tally, sweetheart, you don't have to do that. We'll eat in town and go do boring stuff like look at art in those pretentious galleries."

He leaned on a pillar and watched them continue to talk. But the buzzing he'd heard earlier had returned, growing steadily louder until he was clutching his head, gritting his teeth. "Donnie? What's wrong?" Thalia asked worriedly, and he pressed his hands over his ears.

"It's getting so loud," he groaned softly, the buzzing growing even louder until he let out a cry of pain, pressing his forehead into the pillar.

"It's okay, let's get back inside," Thalia began leading him into the house when she stopped, looking at him. Blood now began dripping from his nose and he looked up, seeing her begin to do the same thing. Then he heard several screams of pain and Thalia looked around, worriedly scanning the area and seeing several of the guards also falling to their knees and clutching their heads. "Donnie, we gotta keep moving. We're almost there."

"I know you hear it too."

"I am," she quietly agreed. Seeing their bedroom door, she continued to help them along before he finally passed out, collapsing to the floor. "No, no, come on," she said quickly, pulling his unconscious body across the floor when she heard a cruel laugh.

"One tough cookie we have here," a man chuckled. "It'll be tough killing you." Then she felt the sharp crack of a gun hitting the back of her head and everything went dark.

When she woke up, she saw nine of the guards and Donnie sprawled out next to her. The blood that dripped from his nose had long since dried; he looked peaceful, his face relaxed. He groaned softly, his hand twitching.

_Lia...the buzzing...it's gone?_

_I think it's a frequency that advanced hearing is able to hear._

"Wakey, wakey!" A man banged on a large barrel, startling them all awake. "Surely you all realize why you're here. You are all Inhuman!"

"Did you put us in my dad's wine cellar?" Thalia asked, rubbing the back of her head. "You bastards are gonna have to hit me harder if you really want to knock me out."

"You are the Nephilim of today's world; abominations that have bred without care for the plague you're spreading."

"Listen, as a fellow Irish Catholic, I have to disagree with that," Thalia muttered, coming to her feet. "It may have been a while since I've last been to Mass, but didn't Nephilim fight demons or such?"

"Slow your roll, Cassandra Clare. This ain't the Mortal Instruments."

_You, of all people, play the religion card? You're half god!_

"No, but I've seen gods," she warned. "And we aren't happy with you."

"You think your alien blood makes you superior to us?"

"You think your humanity makes you superior to me?" Thalia asked. "We were created with nature and equilibrium in hand, as humans have, but you think that because you don't have what we do, you want them gone."

"You're scum."

"And you're being rude," she pouted. Pulling up a chair, she sat down. "Please, sit. Let us discuss and insult civilly."

"How about I put a bullet in your skull?" The Watchdog fired his gun and Thalia laughed, holding up a hand and stopping the bullet in midair.

"You know, I'm not Inhuman. And I'm not some 'pretentious whore' as you so eloquently think," she shrugged, and the Watchdog paled. "I'm simply a girl with a gift. Or two."

"Then what the hell are you?"

"Seeing as I am one, I get to play God. But I'm benevolent. Until you threaten my love. Then you piss me off." Slicing her hand downward, the bullet shot clean through the man's leg. "But I seem to be unable to find enough malicious intent to actually smite. Isn't it strange? A goddess that can't bring herself to kill someone, even when they harm those I love? It's maddening!" She then cleared her face of emotion. "But like I said, I am benevolent. I'll let you live."

"Real benevolent bitch you are, you still shot him," another Watchdog sneered. Turning in her chair, Thalia eyed another of the armed men behind her. She raised an eyebrow to the Watchdog and his scowl deepened.

"You guys are holding ten of my men hostage in a wine cellar, I think my actions are well justified," she retorted with a searing once over.

"Protecting an abomination justifies you shooting a human being?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, whose race is more endangered, yours or theirs? Mine even?" She asked incredulously. "They occupy a tenth of a percentage of the population; I'm the only one of my kind; and yet you feel your human existence is in jeopardy because you have an ego issue about not having superpowers! Or is it a religious issue? I swear, you mortal men have so many cop-outs for your poor, fragile egos being the way they are that it's insane!"

The Watchdog fired his gun and Thalia laughed at him, holding up a hand and stopping the bullet in midair once again. "What part of it not touching me the first time didn't reach you?"

"The bitch is stalling! We got cops on their way!" The first Watchdog groaned and held his leg. "We need to get out, now!"

"So it looks to me that you have an ultimatum. Either flee with your men, or kill us all and get arrested." Thalia sliced her hand over her shoulder and the bullet flew into the Watchdog's. He crumpled to the floor, gasping in pain. "And it seems you've made your decisions. Everyone out!"

Donnie slipped his cold hand into hers. "Let's go." He pulled her out of the chair and up the stairs, away from the Watchdogs. "What is it?"

She shook her head. "Something's off. But I don't know what it is."

When they had led everyone outside, Coulson ran up to Thalia. "You want to tell me how you managed to predict an attack on your property orchestrated by the Watchdogs?"

"Some other time, when I currently don't have said Watchdogs on my ass," she said quickly, ducking behind the car. Donnie ducked down next to her, taking her hand and rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "They're coming!"

Limping out of the house, the two Watchdogs leaned on each other, glaring at them. "You think you can run?! We will find you!"

Thalia slowly rose, coming around the side of the car. "Leave! Nobody's done anything to you!"

"Except become aliens and destroy everything!" One began grasping for his gun. "Watching them become monsters!"

"Nobody's a monster," she replied levelly. "Not me, not them. Not even you." She slowly stepped forward. "Now, there's EMT over there, let's get you looked at before you bleed out."

Stretching a hand out, she then slowly took one's shoulder. In the span of a second, she had been spun around, pressed against the man's chest and a familiar sensation pressed against her temple. She then watched Donnie break into a run towards her as the gun fired, and the world in front of her flickered out to black.  
~*~  
Donnie broke into a dead sprint as she crumpled to the ground. "Thalia!"

He skidded along the grass when a Watchdog held up his gun. "Unless you'd rather join her."

Steam shot from his nose, and his vision ran red, going normal again when the two Watchdogs were two frozen statues. "No," he whispered quietly, his shaking hands slowly tilting her head until he saw the bloody mess. "No, no, no, no, no," he whimpered, taking her hair and brushing it away from the area. He ran his thumb over her forehead, wiping the trail of blood away.

"Mon amour, you are so dramatic," she moaned, holding a hand to her temple and picking the flattened bullet out of her head. "Ow..."

"You pain in my ass," he scolded her, righting her until she was on her knees, then taking her face in his hands and kissing her passionately. "You five foot four, hundred and twenty-nine pound pain in my ass," he scolded her playfully, pulling her hair behind her head and pressing his lips against her forehead. She wrapped her hands around his wrists, and he dipped down and kissed her again.

"Are you two okay?"

Donnie looked up at Coulson. "I just watched the love of my life get shot in the head and survive, I think I'm going to need a while."

"Alright, we'll be on our way." Coulson got into his car and drove away. The guards each got up to return to their posts, but Thalia stopped them.

"You guys can have the rest of the day. We'll be fine."

As they slowly began clearing, Donnie pulled her up into his arms, carrying her inside. Passing into their room, he closed them in the bathroom, taking a hand towel and cleaning her temple. "Will you slow down, mon amour, sils vous plait?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he dried his hands and her temple, and set the towel down, framing her between his arms as he closed his eyes, letting his head hang. "Did you intentionally let yourself get shot?"

"Non, mon amour." Thalia pressed her hands to his cheeks. "I wouldn't ever do that."

He slowly asked her, "Do you know how stupid that was?"

"Oui."

"Do you know how much you scared me? I know what you said when my dad was last here; a bullet actually has the chance of killing you if it gets you in the head."

"But it didn't." Thalia picked up the flattened bullet, rolling it between her fingertips. "So why do you worry?"

"Because I didn't make a promise to you for me to not follow through. You have my title, my property, and should you ever need it, my body to protect you." She heard him sharply exhale then say, "I plan on enforcing that, and if you have anything to say about it, you can keep it to yourself!"

She opened her eyes and saw his had blown out until only a small ring of blue remained. "You don't really believe what you just said, do you?"

"Don't talk me of of it, Thalia, I'm being serious here."

"But I don't think you are."

Abruptly changing the topic, he asked, "How is it you managed to stay so calm when they were threatening your life?"

Her breath shuddered slightly. "I was terrified. They had the guards and you and I felt so powerless because I knew what the Watchdogs did to Inhumans. It scared me because you don't have unbreakable bones like me or any kind of protective abilities and I knew I couldn't convince them to let you go." She then asked, "So why are you getting pissed at _me_ when I was only doing what I promised to _you_? Keeping _you_ safe?"

"Because I--"

"Was under the impression that I can't protect myself? How backwards is that logic?"

"Thalia, listen to me--"

"Now you've pissed _me_ off. I'm capable of protecting myself by any means necessary. And when I can't, you help. But under no circumstances am I going to relinquish my ability to keep myself safe to someone else. Because if they can't do it, I'm screwed. So while the notion is pure and chivalrous at heart, it's helping nobody in the long run, and I--"

He silenced her by kissing her. _I've already been given the speech. I protect you because you are my wife, the only person I care about more than anything._

 _And I to you, husband of mine. I know you know I'm more than capable of it._ They parted, waiting a few moments. _But do also recognize that I feel the exact same way about you, mon amour. I care so much like you do that I'd be willing to put myself in harm's way of it meant you were unharmed. So please, listen to me. I don't want you harmed, and vice versa, but with our current lifestyles, it's impossible for both of those desires to be met. So until it is, let us not have these conversations anymore. They're pointless and waste our time._

"Agreed. I can't get pissed off over the whole ordeal when it won't solve anything. It's just me saying, 'I'm angry and am taking frustrations that don't involve you out on you.'"

"And it isn't helping when I do the same. So enough." Thalia smiled. "Get pissed off at the guys that try to hurt us, not me. It isn't productive, and it hurts more than my feelings." She then leaned forward, pressing one hand over her stomach while whimpering softly. "Turns out it wasn't a false alarm. Cramps suck."

"Heating pad, four ibuprofen, and sleep. That'll help." He began helping her bring out her necessities and put her in bed.

She pouted, her face changing in expressions as he massaged the pain away in her hips. "But what if I get blood on the sheets?"

"Stain pretreat, cold water. I learned from the best."  
~*~  
"That was just all sorts of a hot mess," Coulson scoffed. "Hyde was riding a dead body that wasn't really dead, Thalia is capable of premonitions, and I just watched Donnie murder two Watchdogs over his fiancée like it was nothing."

Mack shrugged. "They did put a bullet in her head, sir."

"That may be so, but this whole thing is--"

"Rather messy, I'm afraid." Coulson looked up and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Which would've made it normal had said woman not have a bullet hole in the center of her forehead.

"What do _you_ want?"

"And here I thought you wanted to see me. After my disappearing act with my favorite body, I knew she'd be put under surveillance. So I got a new body. For now."

"Did you know about this whole 'Blake was leader of the Watchdogs' thing?"

"Surprisingly, no. Had I known, I would never have placed Donnie and Thalia under such danger. You know I care for them so."

"Yet you were on the opposite team for the longest time."

She nodded. "That I was. But now, I have to rectify my mistakes and make Blake stop hunting them."

"You do know that one, we have no idea where that bastard is and two, you do also know that it makes you quite the crappy villain to double back and apologize for causing a mess."

"Villain? I'm touched."

"And three, I still don't know why you insist on being such a nice one."

"Well, I didn't say where I was touched. But if I'm blunt, I am quite the literal interpretation of an antihero now. Bad guy, but good enough to track down and stop your biggest enemy. All for my own benefit, of course."

"They put a bullet in Thalia's head."

"Then I guess I have to hasten my search. Last I heard of Blake's whereabouts, he was in Idaho. But when I checked, he was gone."

"You want us to help clean up your mess."

"No. Not at all. Just keep an eye on them while I look for Blake." Then the body walked out of the room, which was later followed by a brief flickering of the light.

"So..." Mack trailed off. "What do we do?"

"We need to keep tabs on them while Hyde is doing her search. It shouldn't be too long before she finds him."

"But Hyde is a bad guy."

"Who's tracking down an even bigger bad guy. One that'll send more and more men after them until they're dead. We have to play her game until this works out."

Sam knocked on his door. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Tell me about Anna's episodes."  
~*~  
Knocking softly on their bedroom door, Ian stepped into the room. He heard a soft groan, following by a whine. "Hello?"

"Daddy?"

"Thalia, what's wrong?"

"Cramps," she sobbed softly. "It feels like I'm dying."

"Did you take any pain medicine yet, sweetheart?"

She nodded, curling up into a tight ball. "I have to wait until it kicks in. Which it hasn't. So here we are."

"I wish I could help."

"Not much you can do, other than speeding up the rate at which endometrium is shed. But you can't, so I decided that I am going to lay in bed, writhing in pain and bleeding out."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"I haven't had a period in almost half a year. No exaggeration needed."

Ian petted her hair. "I'm sorry."

"Donnie made me a body pillow that can be a huge ice pack."

"He's downstairs?" Thalia nodded. "Right, he went back to work today."

"So I'm up here feeling useless while he's down there, working for a living."

"And you feel bad because you're up here in bed even with a legitimate excuse as to why? Thalia, you're being self-deprecating again."

"I know. But it gives me some form of discipline. Girls like me all over the world manage to be productive while on their periods yet I'm bedridden."

"After not having it for half a year," Ian noted. "If I need to, I will make you stay in bed."

"Dad, there's no need..." Thalia yawned, falling asleep while wrapped around her pillow. His phone buzzed and he checked the screen.

_1 new message- Donnie: has her medicine kicked in yet?_

_Ian- Just now. She unceremoniously fell asleep._

_Donnie- She seems to be in a lot of pain._

_Ian- You care for her a lot._

_Donnie then replied: No really? It's not like we're MARRIED or anything._

_Ian- Sorry. It still may take a bit to get used to. She is...just is. She's my child, but she's so much more than that now._

Ian kissed her forehead, standing and pulling her hair out of her face. Walking through the house, he entered the dining room, taking off his white jacket and rolling up his sleeves. Stepping into the elevator, he then swiftly stepped out. Donnie jumped away from a worktable a few feet from the elevator, knocking a set of precision screwdrivers off the table. "What the hell was that?"

"Making adjustments to the suit. I lost my concentration for a second and I accidentally turned it on. I'm not sure how Thalia manages to keep her abilities under control."

"She powers the entire house."

Donnie's mouth formed an 'O' shape. "Well, it's not an unreasonable way to channel electricity. What are you doing down here?"

"Am I not allowed to be down here?"

"No, I don't mind, I just--" Donnie made gestures to the suit. "I'm not wanting anybody to get in this thing's blast radius."

"Why does it have a blast radius, Donald?"

"With my abilities, it developed some sort of EMP blast that it isn't supposed to have, so I'm going through the wiring for the battery pack and finding a place for me to put this," he held up a small object. "Which will gather any of the excess power that occurs."

"How?"

"Well I can't always rely on Thalia to soak up that extra electricity, so this holds it together like an extra battery that I later empty."

Falling silent, Donnie then moved back to his station. He picked up the screwdriver set off the floor, taking one and slowly twisting a small screw on his mysterious object. "I don't know what it is that she sees in you," Ian mused. "But I'm glad she sees it."

"Thank you, Mister Quinn," he answered softly, returning to his project.

"Do you need help with anything?"

"No thank you, I'm good." His phone began buzzing and he glanced at the screen, returning to work. Approaching his desk in the far corner, Ian fished the drawer key from his pocket, unlocking the drawer and taking out a hefty stack of papers. Sorting through them, he began skimming their contents. "What is it?"

Ian looked up. "I'm not denying I moved the cable lines," Donnie suddenly blurted, and Ian noticed he had his earbuds plugged into his phone. "I'm denying my knowledge of the matter. Well how was I supposed to know? Give me a sec," taking out an earbud, he asked Ian, "Did you know that Wilson Fisk was put in prison?"

"Yes."

"Then go yell at him, Thalia, I didn't know about it."

Ian's phone then rang. Picking it up, he heard Thalia ask, "Why's Wilson Fisk in jail?"

"Being a corrupting businessman. Everyone knew about it."

"But he helped you look for me!"

"And then behind everyone's backs, he ran human trafficking trades, drug trades, and was a major weapons runner on the eastern seaboard. He also worked with the Russian mob and the Yakuza."

"I don't understand why you cut him off!"

"He was a bad person!"

"Seems a lot of your friends are, dad!" Thalia spat.

"I walked away because I am trying to do good for you, Thalia. So try to understand I now have to make sure you and your husband are safe, and if that means leaving my bad friends behind to do that, I will."

"Your business is legitimate, right?"

"I only work with legitimate partners, Thalia."

"I want all of my partners to be legitimate as well."

"Do you want me to find partners that work honestly?"

"Yes, please. Now if you don't mind, I'm about to throw up."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
Clearing her workspace, the newly cleaned surface was met with the clinking of coins. "Thank you, Enchantress. This will help my son greatly."

"No need," she shook her head. "How have you been?"

"I was in the market the earlier today and saw Lady Sif leading a group of the king's guard towards the Bifrost. A friend of mine heard they were doing that because of some kind of disturbance in Midgard."

It was Amora's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"I came to ask you of it because your desserts have been coming from there. Nothing has been out of the ordinary there, has it?"

"Humans are still trying to find peace among one another," she shrugged, sliding the coins into a small purse. "Nothing unusual there."

"Lady Enchantress, have you not heard?" Another one of her customers approached the counter. "I just received word from my husband that they found a half-breed in Midgard!"

"You should hold your tongue of such facts," Amora said. "How does your husband 'know'?"

"He's been assigned to bringing it here!"

"How are you so sure it isn't a hoax?"

"He gave me its name," she beamed proudly.

Amora's features twisted coldly. "Tell me more."

"Well they found her only a few months ago. Hela has been called into question over the ordeal."

"This halfling had died?"

"And Hela apparently took great care in making sure it remained alive. It had managed to hide from us by posing as an Olympian named Khione, and Odin wasn't pleased it happened, so he ordered his best men to bring this one here."

Amora asked incredulously, "How sure are we that this one knew of her heritage? Can't Odin keep an eye on her if she proves to not be a threat?"

"She has powers. Or at least, that's what my husband said. It's said she can change weather patterns." The woman scoffed. "Besides, Lady Enchantress, you know the law."

"Yet Odin recently spared the life of Vali," she retorted. "And he's a half-breed, is he not?"

Both customers fell silent. "I'm closing up. If you need anything else, it will need to wait until tomorrow." When both women had left, she pushed through the curtain her back room when the door opened behind her. "I'm sorry, I'm closed!"

"Lady Enchantress."

Amora turned and met a familiar red clad figure. "Lady Sif. How may I assist you?"

"I'm sure by now you've heard the possibility of a half-breed being found in Midgard."

"Indeed, Sif. I heard as concern seeing as I brought exotic desserts back from Midgard around the month they call November. People wanted to make sure I wasn't harmed."

"Well, as this news has been brought about, it is indeed true. We've brought Hela to the castle for questioning and she named you as an accomplice in her crimes."

"I will not deny that I know Hela. I saved her life once, and in return she granted me a gate key." Amora bared her left forearm, where the tattoo stood out. "I have been through the veil many times, for many people. To assume that I had something to do with this is absurd."

"She claimed that you share blood with this halfling." Sif raised an eyebrow. "And she had proof to show for it."

"It's true. I am related to Thalia, as she is my niece. I care for her deeply."

"Nobody is supposed to know what its name is."

"I helped pick out her name. I would know."

"I am ordered to bring those suspected to the castle for questioning."

"Of what? My relation to her? That I'd be imprisoned for my involvement in her life?" Her breath came out sharply. "I will do no such thing."

"My deepest apologies. But my orders are quite clear Amora. I will not let them imprison you, but you still must come with me."

Amora tried to send a message once before their special cuffs blocked her abilities, and she was led from the cottage to a group of horses outside. She was helped onto one, and a flick of the reins started her on the way to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, it's less than five chapters to the end of the story (I've gotten future chapters written already)! I love comments and feedback!
> 
> Also, the next chapter is called: The Collision of Church and State


	36. The Collision of Church and State

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now, you are officially all caught up with me. I'm just about finished with the chapter after this, and then after a few days of editing and revising, you will have it as well. Only a few more chapters to the end!

"Enchantress," Hela bowed her head. "I am truly sorry."

"Save your apologies for when you're actually feeling sincere," Amora spat.

"Enough of the bickering!" She heard a hiss, and looked up just enough to see Odin's flowing gold cape. "Amora Incantare, is what I hear true? Has your sister created a half-breed that is still living?"

"Yes."

"And that you have made contact with it and have healed it from varying ailments that would normally have killed it?"

"I have. She was suffering from argenteum poisoning that was particularly alarming."

"And why was that?" He asked. "Because your frolicking about with abominations tore a hole in several realms! It had died and should've stayed dead, but this deserter of her post sent her back to her body!"

"Your Grace, if I may..."

"No, you may not!" Odin's feet spun towards Hela. "Your opinion is the last thing that I wish to hear at the moment!"

"I was trying to say that Heimdall knew as well." Hela scowled. "But will likely not face punishment due to him having post as Gatekeeper. Like I am."

"You guide the dead, what use is there in it?" Amora kept her head bowed as Odin stormed away. "Find Lady Sif and inform her of my decision on the halfbreed. I want it executed immediately."

Amora and Hela shot to their feet. "Your Grace!"

"Silence!" He hissed. "You two have done enough, lied enough! You've helped keep it alive and I will not have it! You two are lucky I'm not having the both of you executed for your crimes!" As he left the room, he ordered, "I want both of them in the dungeons!"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
The nightstand began buzzing. Scooping her phone off the wood, she pressed answer. " _Hello, this is the office of Doctor Lexa Patton_ ," a robotic female voice said brightly. " _This call is to inform you that you,_ Thalia Quinn, _have an appointment with our office tomorrow, at nine a.m. on February_ _the thirteenth. If this information is incorrect, or if you wish to reschedule, please do not hesitate to call our office. Thank you, and have a lovely--_ "

"End." She set her phone back down on the nightstand, curling back into Donnie's arms.

He tiredly mumbled, "Who was it?"

"Gyno office," she mumbled in response. "Calling me to remind me of my appointment tomorrow."

"Time flies fast," he chuckled softly. "Now go back to sleep."

"Ma lune, it's almost eight in the morning," she giggled. He chuckled throatily.

"I don't have to be in until tomorrow. As part of my cut days. That _you_ ordered."

"Right. Sorry."

"Subconsciously, I think there was a greater purpose to making me go in later," he suggested sleepily.

"Oh? And what was that?" She asked in response. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, and she snorted. "Oh. You thought that I did that on purpose so we could have sex in the mornings? How sex-crazed are you?"

"Very," he laughed, kissing her face. He trailed down her jaw to her neck, running his hands along her torso.

"Shower, mon amour, I need a shower."

"No," he answered, kissing her sternum. She pushed him off, sprinting to the bathroom and shutting the door. Giggling softly, she pulled on her kimono robe while starting the shower; later, she finally relaxed enough to wait for the water to warm and leaned against the wall.

The door opened behind her. "So he who is so lazy has finally gotten out of bed?"

"Shut up," he laughed into her neck. Kissing the soft spot between her shoulder and neck, he pulled on the sash of her robe. "Do you mind if I join?"

"Nope," she shrugged out of her robe. "Just let me take a peek real quick."

She took off his shirt, lifting his arm and inspecting his ribs. "Better," she remarked happily. "Most of the bruising's gone."

"So can I enjoy this morning with you or what?"

"Sure." He brushed his lips across hers several times as he carried her into the shower. "The point of a shower is to get your entire body clean, mon amour," she pointed out matter-of-factly as he sidestepped the spray. Setting her down, he busied himself with shedding his pajama pants and underwear while she did, tossing their clothes to the far corner.

"I'm good," he shrugged, a broad grin on his face. "I just like watching the way you move. It's graceful."

"And you are...awkward," she smiled. "But then you can be precise in your movements. Like your hands." She took his hand. "Capable of handling the most delicate objects with extreme precision."

"That is true," he nodded, looping an arm around her and pulling her wet, naked body towards him. She giggled and placed her hands on his chest. "I've made my life on my hands being able to handle delicate objects. Take you for example." He traced a finger down her shoulder. "I know that nerves are often referred to as organic circuits for how they transfer information. And how certain clusters of nerves are almost like buttons, where when you apply pressure, it causes the rest of the body to react and begin having muscle spasms."

"Wow, who would've thought you were getting better at it," she retorted. "Donnie?"

"Yes?"

"I understand that you're trying to impress me," she tilted his chin down, "but in all honesty, I'd rather you get to the point."

He pressed her back into the tiled wall. "It is my point. Discussing the observations of my latest experiment with you."

"And I'm your latest experiment?" She chuckled. "Well then tell me your hypothesis."

"If different nerve centers are subjected to temperature change, then a deviating response should be expected."

"Our relationship is literally the observation of said experiment," she laughed. "I know exactly what happens."

"Do you?"

"Yes," she answered seriously, wetting down her hair. "It causes me to break out in goosebumps, for a few minutes anyways." After shampooing her hair, she said, "Let me feel you real quick."

She picked up his arm, pressing a hand to his ribs. Then she traced her index finger over each individual rib, muttering, "Second, third, fourth, fifth..."

"What's wrong?"

Thalia looked at him. "They're healing remarkably fast. I can't feel anything."

"Nothing?"

"Must be that extra kick of Kree blood," she smiled. "So I was going to ask if you wanted to go out to the beach."

"In February?"

"Then what about going to see a movie?"

"No Fifty Shades of Grey crap."

"Oh God, no!" She scoffed. "What person likes hurting others for sexual pleasure?" Shuddering, ran her hands through her hair and wrung the water from it. "I like kissing my significant other for sexual pleasure."

"That's real hit and miss with you, Lia," he chuckled. "But I concur."

He kissed her nose, and she climbed out, drying herself off and sliding the straps of her bra over her shoulders, her fingers reaching to fasten the clasp when she bumped hands. "Thank you," she looked in the mirror, adjusting her underwear before shooting a warm glance at him. He leaned in and kissed under her ear, and she chuckled. "Ooh, mon amour, I won't stay dressed very long if you keep doing that."

"Maybe that's the intention," he suggested, kissing the outside whorl of her ear before wrapping his arm around her middle, pulling her backwards into him. Her giggling turned into soft laughter as he picked her up, carrying her out of the bathroom and undoubtedly back to bed. Instead, he confused her when he placed her firmly against the doorframe.

"Can you not wait?" she teasingly asked. "The bed is like, less than ten feet away."

"While true, a thought just occurred to me. Surely with my broken ribs, gravity would not be working in my favor."

"A lot of things aren't working in your favor." She looked at his stony expression. "You'll need to be more specific."

Her request for further explanation was met with him kissing her heatedly. _Are you sure there isn't any other reason you'd want to divulge to me?_

 _Nope._ At his short response, he wrapped her legs around him. Immediately, she knew he was fibbing to some degree, because somewhere in their close proximity, she felt none other than Sam's brain activity.

_Are you sure it couldn't be because you're trying to scare off Sam? Trying to show him that I'm taken?_

_As bright as ever._

_I think he gets the message loud and clear when you_ aren't _trying to suck my face off. You do realize that being married means I won't leave you._

_But he doesn't know that._

_Crap, you're right._ She softly asked to be put down, and she tightened her sash over her stomach. Scanning the area, her mind went blank. _He's gone. Probably running a mission._

_So can--_

She shook her head. "Back in bed, now."  
~*~  
Tugging a few stray pieces of hair from her face, she said, "I now know how stupid of an idea it was to cut days from your schedule."

She held out her hand, gathering a small pile of screws and bolts while Donnie worked off a bed tray, making small trinkets. "I said to you that I was perfectly fine, but no, we have to be careful and cautious. Well now my ribs are almost fully healed and I'm in bed, 'resting'."

"I'm thinking about letting you start a full schedule starting tomorrow. What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect," he shrugged, wincing at the motion. Pausing his work, he moved the tray off his lap and onto the floor, putting her in its place. Kissing her softly, she leaned her forehead against his.

"I love you," she whispered, her left hand reaching to brush his cheek.

"I love you, too." He wrapped his arms loosely around her hips, reveling in the moment. Just being in each other's presence; her, soft and warm and him, calloused and cold yet somehow managing to find peace in their shared company. Often he'd reflect on this during sex, making some movements slow and deliberate just so he could enjoy more moments like this.

Enough time had passed so that when he heard a quiet knock at the door, he cracked an eye open, turning his head. Sam flew through the door, and he groaned softly, trying to turn himself to a more comfortable position. "Hi."

"Hey, sleepyhead," Thalia teased, grinning while looking disheveled and gorgeous all at the same time. "How's 'resting'?"

"How long was I asleep?"

"Just a half hour," Thalia shrugged. "Sam stopped by."

He stuck his hands in his pockets. "So how are you?"

"Fine," he shook his head. "Ribs are almost fully healed."

"It hasn't even been a month yet."

"Yeah, well, I guess I got lucky," he slid out of bed. "It's almost eleven. Can we eat now?"

"Yes, mon mari," she kissed him. "I was planning to make French toast."

"I think she's planning to fatten me up," Donnie joked to Sam. Sam nodded in agreement. "All this food is killing me."

"Hush," she smacked his arm with the back of her hand, trotting away.

"Mon mari," Sam frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It's a French endearment," Donnie answered, noticing the sky had grown considerably dark. "It's not supposed to snow until tomorrow."

Then a bright funnel of light descended from the sky, touching down in the backyard. "Asgardians," Sam whispered softly, breaking into a run. "Thalia!"

Following after Sam, he watched as Sam pulled on his helmet, jetting through the house until they found her greasing a frying pan, looking up in confusion. "What?"

"Asgardians, they're--"

"Assure me that the Nova Corps isn't trying to protect a fugitive of the law, as ironic as it sounds." Lady Sif stepped forward. "I am here on orders of my king to detain the Asgardian halfbreed known on Midgard as Khione. Which of you is it?"

Donnie immediately stepped forward. Thalia paled, clutching the frying pan. _No!_ "It's me."

"I find the gesture amusing, mortal." Sif's gaze fell to Thalia. "It's her I seek."

"Over our dead bodies," Sam and Donnie snarled.

"My king requested I bring _her_ alive." Sif raised her sword. "He said nothing of you."

Thalia stepped forward. "Give me your sword," she commanded, an authoritative air settling over her. Sif began to laugh.

"Your mother's tricks won't work on me," she stated bravely.

"But I'm not my mother," Thalia answered, her transformation taking over and making her skin snow white. Sif paled in comparison. "Now why don't you give me your sword?"

She began blinking. "But Your Grace--"

"I relieve you of your duty," Thalia cupped Sif's cheek.

Sif's resolve finally cracked, and she gave Thalia her sword handle-first, sinking to one knee. "Is there any other way I can serve you, my queen?"

Thalia paused to think when a bright blue light flew past her and hit Sif and her company, knocking them all out. "Damn it!" She clutched her head, spinning on her heel to face Sam. "What the hell was that for? I can't lose my concentration when I'm doing that, it'll--" she touched a few fingers to her nose, bringing them back spotted with blood. "Well it's supposed to make me black out, but I guess that's not the case this time around. Still bad!"

"Well while we still have time, we gotta get out of here. To Coulson, he'll back us up." Sam tried sidestepping around the pile of bodies when Sif groggily rose to her feet.

"You made a grave mistake, Nova." Sif towered over them, and Sam worriedly tucked Thalia's petite form behind himself. Then in the span of a few seconds, she had taken him by the throat, launching him out of the back door and causing an explosion of shattered glass.

" _Samuel!_ " Thalia leapt out of the glass frame and towards him, ducking the numerous attempts to catch her. When one of Sif's men managed to catch her around the waist, she made a wide arc and swiped a large glass shard off the grass, swinging wildly at the attacker. He crushed her weapon and she blew ice into his eyes, seeing Donnie fight off another of her men in the kitchen. Sif swung at Thalia wildly, making him gawk in horror when the blade slashed her chest. _Thalia!_

She gasped in pain, feeling the wound seep. Sif unceremoniously slung her over her shoulder. "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"  
~*~  
_This is your fault._

_How so, Amora?_

_You and your whorish ways have made a mess that you can't clean, and now your daughter is being brought here for execution. That child that you were in labor over for seventeen hours, as you watched the life fill her eyes? You'll now get to see it fade!_

"I have brought the halfbreed, Your Grace," Sif entered the room. "She is much more dangerous than first thought."

"How?"

"She used a mind trick on me that worked on females as well."

"I want to see her."

Sif pulled Thalia off her shoulder, trying to make her stand. Immediately, Odin noticed the red gash across her chest. "I ordered her unharmed!" He rose from his throne when she crumpled to the floor. "What is the matter?"

"I am...unsure." Sif frowned, bending to help her up when her transformation took over, making the wound bleed further. "She taunted me, and I struck her with my blade."

"Take her to the healers!" Amora reached out to touch Thalia's hand. "This sorceress is trying to avoid her punishment and I won't have it!"

Lorelei whimpered, taking Thalia's limp body in her arms. She brushed her fingertips over the planes of her daughter's face, wanting to say her name. A simple six letters, the pinnacle of Greek beauty...

"Ah yes, the Seductress herself possesses one weakness," Odin mocked her. "Her child, the Lady Khione of Midgard."

Lorelei's gaze intensified into green beams of pure rage. The medicine women entered timidly, gently prying the girl from her arms and laying her flat, doing their silent work. One of them looked at Odin, reporting, "The wound is superficial. She will recover."

"I want her healed immediately." Nodding, the healers moved her out. "I have changed my mind. I will not execute this one. She has gifts I find most...interesting."  
~*~  
He loomed over Sam's waterlogged body with a sense of panic. _Was it push, then breathe or breathe, then push?_ After the Asgardians left (leaving with his dainty wife slung over Sif's shoulder like a sack of flour), he rushed to Sam's side, which was submerged in the tide. So he flipped the helmeted Latino onto his back, wracking his brain for what to do.

Pinching Sam's nose closed, he bent down and breathed into his mouth before pumping his fists against his chest. After a few pumps, Donnie reached down and breathed into his mouth again when water shot into his mouth, foul and salty. Sam coughed, ridding his lungs of the saltwater before sitting up. "Mi dios," Sam muttered, coughing until he shook. "What the hell happened?"

"You got knocked out, and at some point, you rolled off the edge of the grass into the water."

"And Anna?"

"They took her." Donnie looked up. "And now she's up there, being held captive by them because of some stupid law; she didn't ask to be born, yet they're going to punish her because she was."

"I'm sorry. I tried to help, but that's them; the Nova Corps has to stay neutral in it. If they decide to tell them I tried stopping them, Rhomann will kick my ass."

"And her dad's going to kick mine. Asgardians just kidnapped his daughter for execution because she 'violated' the halfbreed law."

"Sam? Donnie?" Coulson yelled. "Where are you?"

"My head..." Sam groaned. Donnie touched where Sam held his head, hopefully providing some pain relief to him. Coulson stood on the grass above him, looking down on them. "Sir."

"What happened?"

"They came for Anna," Sam answered. "We didn't stand a chance."

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "Anna?"

"I'm pretty sure he's got a concussion."

"Simmons!" Coulson pressed a finger to his ear. "We have a concussed nineteen year old Hispanic male, likely suffering brief amnesia. Yes, he'll need--"

"Coulson, I'm fine."

"Hold that order." He removed his finger. "Are you sure?"

"I've gotta go see them. See if I can't plead on her case."

"No, you're not. You're going to get medical help."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
_Swirling deeper and deeper... Then a bright flash of pain. But something was wrong, something lurked beneath it all, foul and dark and coiling to strike..._

Waking up gasping, her eyes flew open, her gasps for air becoming a whimper of pain at the wound being stretched open. "She's awakening," a hushed voice floated over to her. Then a woman with mousy hair spun into an elaborate updo swam into focus. "Can you hear me?"

She heard the question clear enough, but it kept blurring and repeating over and over until she heard it crisp and clear. "Yes," she panted in response, and a sudden burning radiated from her chest outwards, making her release a lone cry of pain.

"What is it, child?" The woman reached for the edge of the bandage on her chest and peeled it away.

Falling under a cold blanket that quelled the burn (at least for now), she found herself perusing her memories out of pure boredom, settling on one that took her mind away.

_"I always thought that there was more to it." He watched her as she took her shirt off, standing before him in lace trimmed underwear and a black sports bra. She shook her head, running a few fingers through her hair to ruffle the sweat soaked strands and noticed the strange look that entered his eyes (lustful was one word she could use to name it; and a brief once over of him showed that was definitely the right pick). "For some odd reason."_

_"It's nothing to get excited over. Just you and me, warm water, soap," Thalia shrugged, reaching and unclasping her bra. "Warm touches, cold touches, new ones."_

_"Are you sure you don't mind--?"_

_She shot a silencing look at him. Turning on the shower, she held a hand under the water, pulling it back and removing the rest of her clothes. "You can come in when you're ready." She stepped under the water, ruffling her hair again and wetting it down. Opening her eyes, he stood in front of her, awkwardly shifting on his feet. "Donnie, would you mind handing me my shampoo?" She turned, wetting down her face when she felt her hair being lightly tugged on. "What are you doing?"_

_"Washing your hair?" She found it somewhat adorable how timid he sounded._

_"Oh. Well thank you," she smiled. He massaged her scalp with his fingertips, and she let out a soft sound of pleasure, closing her eyes. "Oh..."_

_He turned her around, tilting her face up to deter the suds from running down her face. The water raced down her face, and she smiled, her skin dewy and glowing under the soft lights. She imagined that a soft smile graced his face as he held hers._

_He pressed his lips to hers. Softly probing his thoughts, she gently pulled back from their kiss, reaching for the conditioner when he captured her hand, pinning it to the wall. "I've got you."_

_She shook her hand out of his, grabbing her loofah and soaping it up before beginning to wash herself. "You mean you have my hair."_

_Rinsing herself down, she let out a soft laugh when he massaged conditioner into her hair, kissing her as he did. The next few minutes were spent conversationally, until he had her pinned against the wall again. "I've got you," he whispered, rinsing her hair. Their eyes met and for a brief second, she nodded._

_"I've got you, too."_

_Then he kissed her again and accidentally froze their lips together. She laughed, circling their joined lips with a fingertip and melting the ice. "I've got you here," she kissed his jaw, "and here," kissed his neck, "and here..."_

_His foot slid out from underneath him and he careened into the wall. "Oh, Donnie!" She twisted the knobs off and crouched down to his side. "Are you okay?"_

_He nodded. "I'm fine. My balance isn't exactly the best."_

_"Well come on, shower's done." They stood and exited the shower, drying off and pressing kisses to whatever exposed and bare skin was close. She brushed her hair back, and he picked up her comb off the counter, running it through her hair. "I don't understand your fascination with my hair."_

_"I noticed how much effort it would take for you to keep it in some semblance of order while you were in the hospital, so I figured if I could help, I would."_

_He put her comb down. "Thank you, again," she blushed. She suppressed a small giggle. "I think I should get ready for bed."_

_He nodded. "Me too."_

_She took the doorknob. Originally thinking it was her that twisted the knob, she turned and discovered it was him instead, shutting the door behind him. However, it didn't fully latch and the door silently sprung open after him. So she turned around and padded to his door, crossing the threshold onto the carpet and closing the door. "I didn't mean to end things awkwardly. This is new territory for me, too."_

_She fell silent at Ian's and Drew's arguing in the entryway. "I don't think she's in the mood for your ministrations to patch your relationship. As a matter of fact, I'm quite surprised your face is still in one piece."_

_"Then promise you'll help me navigate it with you, too," Donnie said quietly, amidst the arguing._

_"Of course." She held the edge of her towel, nodding. He then pulled her hand towards him and kissed her, tugging her down--_

"Thalia, can you hear me?"

Inflamed was the first word that came to mind when she opened her eyes. Her whole body ached, especially her chest, which felt like it was on fire. She sank back under.

_She had always wondered why Donnie was cold everywhere (her conclusion reaching shortly that the contents of the Blizzard machine seeped into his bloodstream). But right now, she was grateful that he was frigid. It also made her laugh because anywhere he touched caused steam to rise off her skin. "I haven't seen this before," he commented._

_"It's because the water from the shower raised my temperature and it's reacting to how cold you are," she chuckled. She shivered when he ran his hands up her stomach, breaking out in goosebumps. A sheen of ice covered her stomach and it melted away, making steam rise off her skin._

_The small lamp on the nightstand illuminated the dark room, making his eyes look lit from within as he watched the ice melt off her. "It does confirm that I have a hot girlfriend," he noted. She rolled her eyes, smiling. He traced a finger up the back of her leg, and she pulled him back down and kissed him again._

_"You're corny."_

_"That I am," he beamed. He ran a hand up the back of her arm, lacing his fingers with hers._

She fell deeper, waiting for the burning to subside.  
~*~  
"As confirmed, one amnesia causing concussion," Jemma informed Coulson. "He may need a while."

"I'm giving him twelve hours."

She nodded. When she left, Donnie crossed his arms. "Please tell me we have some sort of Asgardian backup."

"Aside from Mister Randolph," Coulson shrugged in response. "But I doubt they'll take him seriously."

"So then what do--" He was cut off by a quiet _Donnie..._

_Thalia? Thalia!_

_Her wound is septic, making her suffer feverish delirium,_ Amora answered. _Sif unknowingly bought your beloved more time._

_Why is she thinking such strange things?_

_She's in self preservation mode. Likely residing in deep corners of her mind and purposefully keeping herself under to prevent the spread of infection._

_Is her skin really white?_

_Yes. I assume by lowering her body temperature, she's keeping her heart rate down and preventing the infection from spreading. Your wife is quite the clever halfbreed._

_So what can I do?_

_I know she can pull out of this. So we have to let her be._

"Are you even listening?"

"Yeah, sorry. Trying to wrap my head around it."

"Well wrap it around this," Coulson handed him a piece of paper. He carefully unfolded it. "We thought it was just one of Thalia's younger childish inventions, but the science is sound. How she managed to do this and Hydra never realized it is astounding. We need you to build it."

He wrinkled his nose. "What is it?"

"A portal to Asgard."  
~G.A.M.E.~  
"Thalia, can you hear me?"

_While moonlight bathed their bed, it was just after eleven at night, with her surrounded in varying drips and tubes and Donnie propping himself up on an elbow. Settling into sleep, she heard him whisper her name. "What is it?"_

_"I want you to know that--"_

And then she felt her eyes open. Amora stood over her, the strange woman from however long earlier at her side. "She looks horrible, Enchantress. I don't think that she will be able to fight this on her own."

"Elynor, I have cared and treated this child for a number of debilitating ailments. But I cannot treat her with either human or Asgardian medicine. On Midgard, people look up to a man called Superman who is an alien amongst humans. A material from his home planet is his only weakness because he was never exposed to it. Much is the same here. Her body must create new antibodies to counter our ailments."

A warm hand took hers. "Feverish still," Elynor muttered, "and she's sweating something fierce. Oh! She's awake!"

"Niece," Amora stroked her sweaty cheek. "You have a visitor."

"Donnie?" She bolted upright and screamed in pain, gasping and crying while holding her chest. Amora bit back a sob, waving a hand over the area to take away the pain.

"No, niece. I'll let you two have a moment." She stood, leaving her side. After a hushed conversation far away from her, a strange woman with red hair approached her, reaching and taking her hand. Her mind drifted away from her, hanging onto the tiny detail. Later, she drifted back to them and whispered a single word.

"Mom?"

Lorelei nodded, cupping her face. She relaxed into the comforting touch, feeling a cold cloth being pressed to her face. And she drifted away again, her mother's touch a comforting relaxant.  
~*~  
"He's been working nonstop for hours. He needs a break."

Sam snorted. "You tell him that."

Daisy steepled her hands. Standing up, she cautiously approached Donnie's workspace. "You need to take a break."

"I need to finish this."

She threw her hand out, sending vibrations to knock the tool out of his hand. He spun around and to his feet, hands clenched. "There's no point in working to the skin of your teeth."

"Why not? It's not like if I don't then I get the satisfaction that I did nothing to help."

"Donnie, I get that you love her. Believe me, I do. But you're not helping her when you won't let yourself have a break."

"I owe her much more than you'll ever realize. I'm repaying my debts."

"Debts? Donnie, you two are _engaged_!"

"I don't think you understand how much I owe. Someone like her knows all the dark and dirty secrets of mine yet she sticks around? That she could name off the top of both or our heads the names of at _least_ twenty people that died by my hand but she still brushes her teeth next to me and kisses me goodnight? She knows how many lives I've taken with these two hands yet she trusts me enough to sleep right between them?" He swallowed thickly. "I could live for as long as she will yet never fully repay her. Because she took me, a completely broken person, and managed to be a glue that holds me together." Swiping the tool off the floor, he then said, "Now let me work."  
~*~  
Amora stood next to Thalia's side, watching Lorelei stroke her daughter's hair and twist it into small braids. "You know she's married now."

Tears spilled onto her ivory cheeks. Her sobs, which normally were loud and disastrous, were silent as her collar clanged back and forth. Thalia panted softly, sweat beginning to bead on her forehead. Amora peeled back the bandage, saying, "Good, Thalia."

When Lorelei looked up, she said, "She's healing. She's going to pull through."

"And good news at that," Odin remarked ominously. "We shall see her soon enough."

When he left, she thought _Donnie, hurry!_  
~G.A.M.E~  
_Donnie, hurry!_

He looked up, eyes flitting up and down the near complete portal creator. Setting his tools down, he eyed the iridium sitting in its cradle. _Surely this is worth everything; it's worth it if it's for her._

"We'd need a massive power source." Coulson rubbed his chest. "And last I checked, I'm pretty sure Stark isn't answering my calls."

"How much power does it need?"

"More than we got."

"Well what about my battery?"

"We'd need a ton of them."

Donnie frowned. "This isn't helping."

"You think I know that? I'm trying to motivate you to come up with a solution. This is way out of my league. Last time I dabbled in this, I got impaled by an Asgardian staff."

A lightbulb suddenly turned on in his head while at the same time, the one over his head exploded. "I got an idea."  
~*~  
"Elynor, find her something suitable to wear." Amora blotted at Thalia's face again, shooing everyone away. "Niece, wake up please." She made a soft whimper. "Thalia?"

Her eyes flew open. A groan left her lips, and she sat up, peeling back the bandage. The smooth, unscarred skin underneath made her sigh. "Your mother is to thank for that. Now stand, niece. You are to meet our king and must be presentable."

Wordlessly, she came to her feet. Amora took her hand, leading her to a small, secluded room with a large steaming bath in the center. "That hair!" One of the women gushed. "So rich and dark!"

She was taken into their arms. "I want her cleaned thoroughly."

"Of course, Enchantress," the servants nodded. When she departed, they eyed her hungrily. "You are quite the gorgeous thing, aren't you?"

She blushed, and they sighed. "She's even gorgeous when she's embarrassed," a girl fawned dreamily. "Come. Our Grace expects you."  
~*~  
"Are you crazy?" Jemma cast a horrified glance in his direction.

"It's an Inhuman ability," Donnie shrugged. "I have the ability to overcharge objects with electricity."

"But can you overcharge _that_ thing?" Jemma gestured to the portal. "It'd take at least fifty of your batteries to power it!"

"It's the only idea I could come up with," he exclaimed exasperatedly. "So sue me."

"What of you have a Daisy episode? Produce an Inhuman incapacitating frequency that can make you pass out?"

"Then I'll hold out for as long as I can," he shrugged again.

"Nobody else is concerned that the fiancé of said person in question is willing to power this device," Coulson cast a steely look in his direction. "I'm willing to also bet that he'll then pull a Fitz and throw himself through it to get her back."

"Well Agent Fitz is here, isn't he?" Donnie asked disdainfully. "And so is Agent Simmons."

The room fell silent. "Touché," Fitz muttered under his breath.

"I'm saying that's my Thalia they took and I'm going to get her back." Donnie stood and left the room, presumably to work more. Fitz and Simmons looked at each other.

"It does seem kind of ridiculous that we're judging him for wanting to do this. We were just as reckless, if not more."

The lights began flickering and they jumped up. "Just not reckless enough to do it alone," Jemma added. "Donnie!"

"Donnie, stop!" Fitz yelled, twisting the knob only to realize it was frozen. "Let us help!"

The floor shook. Then the lights died out completely, plunging them into darkness.  
~*~  
"I'm not trying to sell myself to him, I'm here on trial!" Thalia spat scornfully, dismissing an outfit option that barely covered her. "I'm not my mother. I have enough decency to dress appropriately."

"Then perhaps this one?" A servant held out a floor length dress. She approached it cautiously, slipping into the cool and silky fabric. It clung to her every curve, making them sigh in appreciation. The warm air brushed across her bare back, causing her to pucker with goosebumps.

"A few pieces of jewelry would be absolutely gorgeous," a girl suggested. "Hair pins and a long silver chain."

"Then how about you retrieve them?" A new voice asked. "Our guest won't roam."

They left in search of jewelry, and she turned her back to the new person. "Thank you. They can't seem to stop gushing over me. 'She's got such beautiful hair' and 'her skin is so creamy'. It drives me crazy."

"I can understand their compliments. A beauty like you is hard to have for long around here."

She turned to face the guest. With black hair that hung at his shoulders, he entered the room, a cloak swirling around his feet. "You're familiar."

"One would jest."

"And one would suggest that sounds overly vain."

"One would keep their tongue curbed when talking to someone so brashly."

"I guess one would," she answered with a smirk, which made the man fume. The servants reentered with their trinkets, beginning to pin up her hair. "You can go."

He stormed forward, hand stretched out when she spun around, locking eyes with him and willing him to not move. Chuckling, he said, "A sorceress? And I thought I wasn't interested."

"Get out." A servant stood between them. "She's the king's guest, not yours."

He left, and the servant turned to face her. "We should hurry and make you presentable."

Locking shiny shackles around her wrists, they gently led her out of the room. At the feeling of impending doom, she felt a few tears form in the corners of her eyes and a servant stopped, gently dabbing her eyes. "Don't cry."

"Why? I'm going to die and I won't even be able to say goodbye to my love."

"Because if what I hear about you is true, you won't be going anywhere," the servant whispered, her gaze flickering to somewhere over Thalia's shoulder. "Now come."

She was led down hallways until one opened to a throne room, a man in gold in its main spectacle. "Commence this trial," he ordered. People came to a group before the throne, her leading them. "Bow before your king, halfbreed."

She felt her chest seize up as she gracefully sunk to her knees, bowing her head. "I am at your mercy, Your Grace."

"Who are your biological parents, halfbreed?"

"My father's name is Ian Crawford Quinn," she paused. "And my mother's is Lorelei Incantare."

"When were you made aware of your bastardly heritage?"

"I was only made aware this past July, Your Grace," she answered. "I had been drowned and, to my knowledge, revived by my aunt."

Odin tensed up. "Are you aware that she had done this to you before?"

She shook her head. "After July, she had become as involved in my life as she could. Or would. I'm unsure."

"Have you displayed any outward signs of your heritage?" Odin inquired. "Children of magic-practicers inherit their abilities on off chances."

"She hasn't known of her heritage long enough to know, Your Grace," Amora answered. "But she has. Being related to two of us, she has inherited a rather mixed bag of abilities."

"I want to see for myself."

"Your Grace," Sif interjected, "I apprehended her and she has shown to be very volatile. She has fought for her freedom, and has corrupted the neutrality of the Nova Corps. A member of theirs has grown attached to her and tried to resist her apprehension."

"Is this true?"

"He was unaware that I had done something wrong, Your Grace."

He then laughed, causing her to flinch. " _You_ did something wrong? No, dear child, you've done nothing wrong. Your _parents_ are the ones that did wrong; their unlawful copulation violated several of our laws in both realms. The penalties, of which, are death to all."

"Yet my father is unaware of such penalty. I humbly request that I take his punishment."

"You would take your father's punishment so he may live?" He pursed his lips. "Why?"

"It would stand to reason that I've already been sentenced to death. But as my father did not know that what he did was a crime, I offer to take his punishment so he may learn his lesson without losing his life."

The man pursed his lips. "I need a moment to think this through."

Thalia sighed softly and the room fell silent. Everyone looked at her, where her breath had steamed. "How did you do that, child?"

"It's a nervous tic; an idiosyncrasy, Your Grace."

"But how?"

A man entered the room. "Your Highness, a visitor was reported. They said they knew vital information that could assist in your trial."

"Bring them in."

The doors behind her opened. "State your business," Odin ordered.

"Well, I'm no expert on Asgardian laws and such," she stiffened at the voice, "but if she's to take part in a Prophecy, she cannot be imprisoned or killed. As a matter of fact, if what the last Asgardian I've talked to said is true, then no part of her eventual involvement in it can called into question either, can it?"

"Who are you?"

"He is one of the brainwashed, lovesick fools that she had protecting her," Sif spat.

"Well _this_ brainwashed, lovesick fool would like it very much if you took the shackles off his _wife_." Donnie bit out. "Seeing as what you're doing to her is illegal."

"Is this true?" Odin asked her. "Is this man your husband?"

Standing, she turned slowly, her vision blurring when her eyes met his. She then croaked, "Donnie."

He ran towards her and enveloped her in his arms. "I'm here," he whispered into her hair, comforting her shaking frame.

"I know you did not manage to 'tag along' as Midgardians say."

"Of course not," Donnie shook his head, taking her shackled hands. "My genius halfbreed wife that you hate with a burning passion for some unknown reason left me plans for a portal maker."

"As this new information has surfaced, it seems we cannot hold this trial due to circumstance. Undo her chains." A guard approached her timidly, unlocking her shackles and removing them. "While I investigate this mention of a Prophecy, let me extend my hospitality and allow me to have you stay as guests."

"I speak for the both of us when I say we'd rather be sent home."

"Perhaps you misunderstood," Odin mused. "You will stay here as guests while I investigate this claim. Guards, escort them to their room."

Led out of the throne room and back to Thalia's original room, the servants leapt to their feet. "I told you," the servant from earlier smiled softly. "You're not dying today."

"You knew he was here."

"Yeah," Donnie nodded. "She helped me find you."

Thalia then began to cry tears of happiness. "Please don't cry," he thumbed away the tears. "We'll be okay."

"You can leave," Thalia dismissed the servants. "I want to have some time alone, please."

They nodded, leaving the room. "Don't worry, I already called the office and told them you'd have to reschedule your appointment."

"What did you say?"

"You traveled to Wakanda on a diplomatic mission from Malta in an effort to expand on your biomedical branch, seeing as they're the most technologically advanced country in the world."

"Then as soon as we get home, we will go and do that for real. I love that you came up with that, that's actually very smart to do." She hugged him. "I'm glad I married you."

"Me too," he murmured into her hair. "Let's get ready for bed."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," she shuddered. "I mean I could in New York, but we are these peoples' prisoners."

He fell quiet. "Well I'm right here."

She kissed his chest, sitting on a small stool. A servant girl unearthed herself from the hall, beginning to pull the pins from Thalia's hair. She rose and retrieved a bowl of steaming water and a rag, sitting down and beginning to wipe off her face. "I feel exhausted."

"Come on," he brushed a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. "Lay down."

She yawned and stood, rubbing her eyes and laying down on the luxuriant bed. The servant curtsied, leaving the room. He heard the doors lock behind her and settled into the bed. "We'll be okay," he whispered to her, stroking her bare back. "I know we will."

She nuzzled him. "I'm starving."

"Well unfortunately, I'm not able to pad my shirt with extra snacks."  
~*~  
The doors opened and a guard entered. "Awaken. A verdict has been met."

He left and the servants reentered. "Wake up," they nudged her awake, pulling her out of bed. Following suit, he planted his feet on the floor and rubbed sleep from his eyes. The smell of food wafted to him and his eyes opened, greeting him to a breakfast feast; bacon and eggs were piled high, dotted with fresh fruit. "How did this all get here?"

"His Grace wanted you two to feel comfortable." The servant girl plucked a slice of pineapple up off the tray. "Care for some?"

"Allergic."

"You humans are such fragile, fickle creatures," she commented. "Your wife is eating them without issue."

"Because she's allergic to apples," he answered, raising an eyebrow at her. She smirked at him, sucking the juice off of one end. "And is clearly pissed at me for something."

_Nope, not at all._

_Then why are you eating pineapple when you know I'm allergic?_

_There are other uses for pineapple besides repelling you._ She stood and approached a handful of other people who ushered her behind a screen. A few moments later, she emerged, a silver halter gown cinched at the waist with a delicate belt that appeared to be made of crystals. The same pins from the day before decorated her hair.

He took her hand as they were led out of the room. Looking at her face, her eyes were closed and she breathed evenly to control her nervous steaming. Approaching the throne, she bowed down, bowing her head in respect. A quick thought flitted through his head. _The only man she should be on her knees for is for me._

Suddenly Thalia blushed a bright red, her aunt and mother doubled over in laughter. He looked around in confusion, projecting the question _What's so funny?_

_Thank you for singlehandedly humiliating me in front of a dozen people!_

_Your thoughts aren't private in our company, nephew. A lesson you should take to heart._

_It is quite interesting how men react to their desire,_ a new, silky voice said. _You see your woman doing something that infuriates you and you manage to make it sexual._

And everything clicked. _Thalia, I am so sorry!_

 _Just be thankful the only people that could tell what you're thinking are the three of us._ Everyone silenced as soon as Odin entered the room.

"After a rigorous combing of our archives and records, it did mention a Prophecy that involved a halfbreed," Odin declared. Everyone visibly relaxed. "A halfbreed that, after further investigating of this Prophecy, was the child of an imprisoned sorceress. So, according to your Midgardian husband, halfbreed, we cannot make any claim to your life being spent in death or chains."

She slowly rose to her feet and was quickly spun around, Donnie boldly kissing her in front of their audience. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder when they parted. "Good. Then you'll let us go home."

"I will." He gestured to the guards that approached them. "They will take you two back to Midgard."

"Home at last," she joked under her breath.

"At last."

Following the guards, she shot off a steely mental message to her two Asgardian relatives. _Keep your minds to yourselves._  
~*~  
"If he comes back, I'm putting him on lockdown." Coulson fumed. "Or maybe he'll spend the night in a cell and he will learn how to not go against orders."

"Back up, you two," Daisy stood in front of the door and held out her hand, causing the door to bust and drift open.

"Reported Asgardian activity, repeat, reported Asgardian activity outside Death Valley, over."

"Please repeat that, Dispatch."

"There are two vital signs being read from a recent Asgardian activity outside Death Valley."

"We are responding to it."

"Someone already responded, sir."

"Who?"  
~G.A.M.E.~  
He should've known that something was drugged, he was so stupid! The gift from Thalia's mother that seemed too good to be true likely was; but what was the purpose of it? Why do it if they were leaving? Speaking of they--

Cracking his eyes open hesitantly, he made an involuntary movement to swallow yet his mouth felt filled with cotton. Dehydration; not a good thing to be experiencing.

Sitting up, he looked around. He was in his room? Or rather their room; so did they manage to bring them home? Opening the mini fridge door, he took out a water bottle, guzzling half its contents before pausing to take a breath. He still wore his clothes from when he threw himself through the portal; so he stood, stumbling over to the dresser for a change of clothes. As he changed, he called out, "Thalia?"

The backdoor swung open and Sam stepped through, carrying her through. "Sorry, they dropped you guys out at their Death Valley point. I have no clue why they couldn't just bring you back here."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I think the more appropriate question is what's wrong with you," Sam snorted. "Ingesting Asgardian potions is just stupid from the get go."

"I kinda figured that out when I woke up."

"I don't think you've figured out anything yet," he chuckled, setting her down on the couch. "You're getting it worse than her because she is still Asgardian, so she has few to no problems with anything of theirs. You, while being Inhuman, are still more human than anything."

Sam's comm turned on. "Where are you?"

"Their place."

"And they're both with you?"

"I have eyes on both of them, yes sir. But Agent Coulson, we seem to have a rather unique situation with one of them."

"Explain."

"Well it seems that Donnie managed to get ahold of and ingest an Asgardian potion."

" _How_?"

"Gift from Thalia's mother," Donnie croaked. When Sam replied, he chuckled.

"Coulson wants me to say these two things. One, 'Rookie mistake', that's mine; Coulson's is 'What kind of genius does such a stupid thing?'"

"Tell him I said to ask his own two geniuses the same question," Donnie fired back, fumbling with the top of the ibuprofen bottle. "Then get back to me."

"Can do, sir." Sam switched off his comm. "Good news and bad news. Good news, you're not in a cell for violating direct orders and locking him and three others in a room for almost a full day. Bad news, you're now on quarantine. We don't know what the effects of Lorelei's gift are, so until we do, you and Thalia have to stay here under my watch until this goes away completely. We don't know if it's contagious or what." His comm beeped. "I'm leaving now."

He quietly shut the door behind him. Swallowing two ibuprofen, a splash of water followed and he sat down at Thalia's feet. "Anyone there?"

She stretched languidly. "Hey."

"How do you feel?"

"Sore for some unknown reason, but otherwise fine." Sitting up, she took his hand. "It's hard to believe that just less than twelve hours ago, we were Asgardian prisoners." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"That's today?" He asked tiredly, chuckling at himself. "And the two of us are in quarantine."

"That's right, my mother is an intergalactic villain that was hellbent on trying to enslave the universe a few hundred years ago. For all we know, she poisoned you." She rolled her eyes. "Please. My mother knows what I'd do if something happened to you, she wouldn't put a hair out of place."

"Not to sound mean, but--"

"Yeah, my mom is kind of a whore, I'll admit."

"Breakfast is calling our names," he swiftly changed the topic. "What about banana French toast?"

"You read my mind," she beamed, pressing a kiss to his lips. Heat shot through him in short bursts, and he pulled her forward until their chests touched. His hands traced over the smooth planes of her back, tracing her ribs until they ran beneath the front of her dress. "Donnie," she panted, "what are you doing?"

Looking like it took a lot of effort to do, he broke their kiss. "Craving physical contact with you. I think this might kill me."

"More like business as usual. I'm always near you." She shrugged, teasingly adding, "But I guess in your case, it's different. You might _actually_ start to turn blue."

He gave her a blank stare. Meanwhile, she cracked up. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that was necessary."

"I was being completely serious. What if you _are_ actually turning blue?" Thalia then huskily answered, "Then I guess it would wise to make sure that won't be the case, would it?"

Leaning in, she then feinted and hopped off his lap. "Too bad that's not my business. I'm making breakfast."

"Thalia!"

"Don't give me lip, I have to change. I'm way too dressed up for breakfast." She trotted to their dresser, then to the bathroom, locking the door and quickly shedding the overly opulent dress. While she thought it was beautiful, it reminded her all too much of being prisoner. Of being at the mercy of others who held considerable power over her, having to follow _their_ orders...

She felt arms encircle her waist. "You okay?"

"I will be." Letting the fistful of silky fabric fall from her hand, she laced fingers with him, sighing when his ring rubbed the skin under hers. "I'll be okay," she repeated.

He solemnly kissed her shoulder. "I'll be here."

"I know." Turning in close quarters, she met his gaze. "That ring means you're not going anywhere."

Her slip shifting around her, she leaned on him while his hand stroked her back. "I've got you."

"Thank you for having me," she murmured, looking up at him and kissing him. A needy moan slipped out, and he slowly deepened the kiss, his hand resting on the small of her back. His arms tightened around her and he began pressing kisses down her throat. An inarticulate sound escaped her, and he gathered her in his arms, carrying her towards the couch.

Until a pair of arms wrapped around her middle. "Whoa, there!" Sam pulled her backwards and Donnie stumbled forward. "What part of 'possibly contagious' didn't reach your oxytocin-addled brain?"

"What?"

"You honest to God didn't think I at least _knew_ of the effects?" Sam asked. "Rhomann has tales as tall as they come about the dumbasses like you that drink Asgardian potions."

"Let her go," Donnie snarled.

"And if I'm going off a limb here, you were given good ol' number nine." Sam gently lifted off the gound, hovering out of Donnie's reach. "That one's a doozy."

"Hold on, what are you talking about?"

"Donnie was slipped a potion. A grand old hot mess of your mother's which is known for making people horny as all hell."

"And the problem with it is..?"

"Just the fact that he'll be bumbling around like a damn fool because he can't help it."

"And that's suddenly _your_ business?" Thalia squirmed in Sam's grip. "Put me down."

Silently, he did as he was told, and her feet met the floor. "Neither of you move," she ordered, her voice having an echo to it. "What is up with you?" As soon as Donnie opened his mouth, Thalia added, "I already know what your deal is, close it." She turned to Sam. "I more or less directed the question at you."

"Me? Why me?"

"Yes, Sam. _Why_ you?" Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Why is it that you've been around since August, when you flew to my bedroom window to see me?"

Donnie's eyebrows shot up. "He did _what_?"

"Didn't she say for you to shut up?"

"Didn't she say for you to not make a move? On her, especially?"

"Both of you, enough!" They looked at her when the lights surged. "Sam, Donnie is right."

"You're biased."

"Of course I am, I live with him; I sleep in the same bed as him! I side with him when he's right because he is!" She ran a hand through her hair. "And he's right because it isn't okay to try and steal someone's partner away from them!"

Sam looked down in shame. "We can still be friends, but you have to understand that Donnie and I will continue to be a thing."

"But I lost _you_."

"You didn't lose _me_!" She placed her hands on his face. "You lost someone wearing my face; you lost Anna. Donnie found me." Her voice dropped a few octaves to a light whisper as she said, "Don't take me away from him because you miss her. We've already lost so much."

She removed her hands. "I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye."

_Donnie?_

The cloud over him caused some time to pass before he heard her. _What?_

_Promise me you won't get mad at what I'm about to do._

_Why would I?_

She then pulled Sam forward and smashed their lips together. Sam tangled his fingers into her hair, trying to keep her close and absorb all of it before it ended. How familiar it felt to have his lips on hers, her warm body against his, how everything felt so reminiscent of Anna...

It felt like years but looked like seconds. She finally parted with him and backed away, letting him come to terms with what just happened. "That's all I could think of doing. It's not fair that she left without a goodbye."

"I think..." Sam thumbed over his lips, "I need to leave. Give you two time."

"Sam--"

"It's not you, I promise," he assured Thalia, quickly leaving the room. She sighed in exasperation when the door shut, and she turned around.

"I'm sorry about that--" Donnie's mouth molded onto hers. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she tangled her fingers into his hair. A sudden gust of air left her chest when her back (and Donnie's weight) pressed into a soft surface. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not a fan of violence," he murmured into her skin. "Never have been."

She let out a soft moan as he began sucking on small patches of skin that went down her sternum. He cupped his hand around the curve of her breast, his face hovering over her heart. "God, I can't even begin to tell you how possessive I felt over you when he was kissing you," he chuckled. "But I got so mad when he was kissing you and I knew it was the potion talking."

She looked down at the top of his head. "You aren't...mad, are you?"

"No," he shook his head, moving down to her stomach. "What you did was for his own good. Because if _he_ had made the final move, you might've found a new garden plot in the backyard. You told him to move on."

"Then why do I get the feeling that you _are_ mad at me?"

"I'm not. That anger I do have is going to be channeled into other creative outlets." His hand skimmed her hip, going down her leg until he reached her knee. He pushed her knee out to rest comfortably between her legs, paying attention to his sore ribs. "Creative outlets that, when thought is applied, might cause you some level of frustration."

"Oh will it now?" Thalia laughed, the sound being cut short by a sharp, strangled sound. "Oh God, cold! Jesus Christ!" She tried pulling away when the hand that was over her hip suddenly locked down onto it, holding her in place. "Mon amour, you're killing me," she gasped out, trying to writhe out of his iron grip. Her breath shuddered and she felt her back arch, a soft moan leaving her parted lips.

"I can feel you squirming under me. Killing you is a bit of an overstatement."

"Oh God, Donnie, give me a break," she pleaded, her voice breaking as it did. "It feels like you're pulling me apart at the seams."

"That's good," he chuckled, the feel of his chuckle reverberating throughout her body. "Help me pull at the _right_ ones."

Electricity began to crackle between her fingers. "Slow down, please, I can't--" she pressed her clenched hand to her mouth to muffle a slow, agonized whimper.

"You can't _what_?" He chuckled again. "Can't get control? Feels like you're about to tip over the edge? I've got all day to figure it out if you don't tell me."

"Yes, yes, all of it," she panted. "You're driving me crazy, I can't think, I'm losing control," she felt her fingernails digging into her palms, "but I don't want you to stop. _Please_ , don't stop."

She closed her eyes, her hand wandering down to ruffle his hair. While her breathing returned to normal (somewhat), her heart continued to beat out a staccato in her chest, its feeling making her twitch with every movement. Biting her lip to conceal the sounds that escaped, she slowly began to feel the sensation that he had described; slowly but surely being pushed to the edge, winding her up tighter and tighter. And then without even being pushed, she fell. When it happened, she inhaled sharply, fisting a hand into the blanket slung over the couch and charging it with static electricity.

"Oh God," she heard herself moan softly. "I am going to kill you."

He began laughing again. "I am serious, that was completely unexpected," she began trembling and laughing. "And a word to the wise..." She opened her eyes, and he hovered over her, "You should've done that _earlier_."

" _Earlier_ , hm? I remember there being an earlier time," Donnie remarked, a smirk playing at his lips. "Sometime ago involving the two of us in a yoga room? Then a specific bastard's father visited and tried making you apologize for his son's behavior?"

"That's right," she agreed. "Well you know what they say. Better late than never."

"Same could be said of our trip to Wakanda."

"Tomorrow," she promised. "Today, my husband spoils me on the only other special day other than my birthday."

"And I can make every day a special day," he smiled, bending down to kiss her when he jumped back. "The blanket shocked me!"

She bared an ear to ear grin. "More like I shocked the blanket."

Their phones began vibrating on the coffee table. "It's Coulson," Thalia picked up her phone, sliding a finger across the screen. "Yes?"

"When were you two gonna tell me you got _married_?" Coulson sighed. "I trust you two to be honest with me and I hear it from _Sam_ that you are _married_?"

"I have one thing to say and one thing only. Unless it's coming from Donnie or I, take it with a grain of salt." She hung up the phone. "Now, where were we?"  
~*~  
"They said to take it with a grain of salt," Coulson answered.

"Most likely that's her trying to divert attention. And even if it was true, it's not our business. If it was, we would've been invited." Jemma shrugged. "She was just abducted and returned home. She wants time to recuperate."

"How many times has that excuse been used?"

"Hey, you guys," Daisy ran into the room. "We got a problem."

"What is it now?"

"Just got off the phone with Maria," Daisy panted. "Somebody broke into the Stark Vault."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


	37. Users and Abusers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with time to finish this chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it!

"All I know is that I came down here to update the logs, and this was here." Maria gestured to the open door. "The cameras are gone, everything disabled, I have no clue what happened."

"What was down here?"

"According to the logs, one half-full canister of Midnight Oil, original nitramene bombs, some kind of suicide vest and one Blitzkrieg Button," Maria thumbed through the picture log, shrugging. "These things killed people, yet they're all here. Tony, unfortunately, knows about it but says that as long as nothing was taken, he's okay. But I know this is bugging him. Last time this happened, a Black Widow broke in and took all of it, but this was in the forties."

"So what was the purpose?"

"Scare tactic?" Daisy suggested, stepping through the door and into the Vault. "Someone's trying to get to him?"

"What's this?" Coulson pointed to a picture of a metal cube. "This doesn't look like a Stark invention."

"That's because it isn't. Pepper initiated the Safe Science Program; say for example, if a scientist creates something that's too dangerous for us at the current time, they can fill out a form to have it stored here." Maria ran a hand through her hair. "A lot of people applied. A few that I know will pique your interest happen to be the children of millionaires and billionaires. One Justine Hammer applied."

"Justin has a kid?"

"News to me, too. She applied to have an invention codenamed the Crimson Cowl stored here, but she was rejected by association. The invention was cybernetic in nature." Turning a separate pamphlet of pages, she cleared her throat. "Then there's Irena Crumb, and then to top this crazy cake, one Thalia Quinn. Guess who got accepted."

"The teenage biological weapons specialist."

"All I know is that she has six months from the date of acceptance to submit her invention. This is only a picture. I haven't done inventory for the Vault since November, so this could've either been here and stolen or not arrived yet."

"I'm inclined to go with the former," Coulson shook his head. "Because I remember being on the phone with Thalia when she was flying to Canada, and again when a former charge of mine held her captive out in Brooklyn."

"You never seem to learn," Maria chuckled. "I'd have to ask Miss Potts if this was in here. Otherwise, I'm marking it all as still present."

Maria walked away, calling out "You guys have an hour!" over the _click-click_ of her heels against the floor.

"Daisy, any CS stuff you can find?"

"Well whoever got in here is worth their salt. They wrote a really powerful cloaking program to make the system think the Vault is closed while they hacked the locks open. Which is extremely difficult to do because if these locks get breached, then the entire system goes into panic mode. Each method of security ties into each other, so if one fails, it locks everything down. See those vents and doors we went through? In this hallway, there's one door and eight vents. If any of the security in this hallway is breached, those doors airlock and those vents suck all the oxygen out."

"So this is tight," Coulson mused.

"Whoever did this had to write and rewrite multiple cloaking programs all at the same time to keep them all connected yet separate. So they wrote one to disable the cameras while everything else still works. And another for the Vault's locks. And another for the security inside the Vault." Daisy pointed to the vents. "See? The airlock technique was the same in here. Picking the dominoes up and putting them back before they cause a chain reaction."

"Well then you have the next forty-five minutes to get what you need. After that, we gotta bounce."  
***  
Donnie looked up from his phone as Thalia left the conference room, smoothing down the front of her skirt. "How'd it go?"

"I asked and presented my case, and while Prince T'Challa believed it would be mutually beneficial, he later changed his mind. He said, 'no disrespect, Miss Quinn'. Acted like a gentleman and everything."

"I'm sorry."

"He said that too, claiming that their country deals with one problem at a time. Their current one being the Accords."

"Well, at least you tried."

"True." She held his face in her hands, kissing him. "What did you do?"

"Played Candy Crush: Night Life," he frowned. "Level 23 victory continues to elude me."

"I told you you can use power ups."

"I want to do it with my own genius," he frowned sulkily.

"Mon amour, je t'aime," she laughed. "You are adorable."

"Come on, I've got lasagna in the oven at home."

Her phone buzzed. "Yeah?"

"I have a surprise for you down in the lab," Ian cooed.

"Really? What is it?"

"Check it out when you get the time."

"Alright!" She hung up the phone. "Detour, we're heading downstairs!"

"Why?"

"Dad left me a surprise," she pulled him into the elevator. "Wonder what it is."

Bouncing on her feet, she jumped out when the doors opened. She speed walked down the hall, stopping at a door with a note on the front.

_This was years in the making, but I knew younger you was ecstatic over it. -Dad_

"I think I know what it is," Thalia pulled the door open, stepping inside. Donnie watched from the observation room, awed by the inside. "Oh my God. Gravitonium!"

"Holy crap," Donnie whispered softly.

"I can't believe it!" Thalia squealed. "He found it!"

"Be careful around that stuff, Thalia."

"I know," she waved a hand at him. "Holy hell, there's so much!" Putting her hands on the display container it was in, she said, "Dad showed me this stuff when I was four. Just a tiny bit of it flipped a car!"

Her sparking hands caused electricity to race across the hinges. "And a big enough chunk of it almost sunk his underground estate in Malta."

"True," she nodded.

"I'll be outside. Leave when you feel it."  
***  
As the same familiar screen flashed in front of his eyes, he turned his phone off, tucking it in his pocket. Suddenly, a scream began echoing off the walls, causing the light to surge.

A man then exited the hallway, his head down as he power walked by. Donnie jumped to his feet and began to run, throwing himself into the observation room. Looking inside, he saw Thalia, bruised and looking bent at odd angles. Passing through the open door, glass crunched underfoot, and he kicked a few shards away to bend down. Taking her hand, he looped her arm around his neck. A soft whimper came from her, and he carefully scanned her up and down, finding her foot swollen and looking dislocated.

"Thalia, what happened to you?" He asked her quietly, lifting her up off the floor. His gaze focused on the shifting piece of glass bobbing in and out of her side. Carrying her to a set of chairs in the observation room, he gripped the glass between his thumb and index fingers and pulled it out. She surged awake.

"It hurts, Donnie, it hurts!" She wailed as he gingerly took her foot. "No, don't touch it!"

"What the hell happened?"

"The man-- the man in the Gravitonium, he--"

"Someone was _inside_ it?"

"He was mad, mad at me for something--" she groaned softly. "The room's spinning..."

"This looks _broken_ ," he told her, snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Hey, focus on me, I'm calling for help."

He wiped the blood off his fingers before reaching for his phone. "Donnie, my foot's throbbing. Pass me the phone," she held her hand out, groaning softly. "My fingers are getting tingly."

"It's not healing." Donnie pressed a wad of tissues from her purse to the wound in her side. "At all."

"Yeah, because I can tell you without vomiting at the sight of it that at least one thing in my ankle or foot is shattered or broken, at best."

"But your bones _can't_ break!"

"Under extreme pressure, they can. And when a man that formerly weighed one twenty that now weighs, or at least has a foot that can now apply at least eight thousand pounds of pressure per square inch and crushes your foot with it, something's gotta give. He's been in that pressure cooker for so long that it somehow gave him the ability to intensify or lessen gravity to certain objects, including himself. So he can either float off the ground..."

"Or intensify the pull of gravity so much that he can change his weight." Donnie unlaced her heels, gingerly pulling them off. "I'm gonna put some ice on it, alright?"

"Go ahead." She lifted her head. "Scratch that, they're here."

Looking into the hall, he saw several groups of scientists and a group of medics striding down the hallway, Ian leading them. "Thalia Lorelei Quinn, I said you could see the Gravitonium, not mess with it."

He poked his head into the observation room. "Yes, Father," she said sarcastically, "send the Gifted child with the ability to control electricity into a room that holds something that activates in the presence of an electric current. I thought you were smart, Dad."

"My God, sweetheart, what happened to your foot?"

"It accidentally activated and I got smashed in the face with the pedestal; woke up to somebody crawling out of the stuff."

"Over here!" Ian beckoned the medics towards them. Donnie carefully moved her from the chairs to the gurney. She made a cross face, her arms mimicking her expression. "Don't worry, Thalia. You'll be okay."

"Well I _know_ that, Dad."  
***  
"I just talked to Miss Potts," Maria said. "Thalia Quinn's invention in question was submitted to the Vault in early December of last year."

"Does she know what it was?"

"Something called Snow White Serum. But according to her, the cube was a puzzle box locked with all sorts of little booby traps. It took Thalia at least five minutes to unlock it in her office and she created its casing."

"We'll keep our ear to the ground." Coulson nodded, and the room fell silent. "This serum is bad news."

"So is this hack," Daisy shook her head. "Tony Stark is like the head honcho of cyber security, yet someone managed to crack through."

"Agent Coulson, sir," Fitz poked his head in. "I have Thalia on the phone wanting to talk to you."

"Patch it." Fitz nodded his head, and Coulson put his phone on speaker. "Thalia?"

"She's in surgery because some guy with the ability to change the rules of _gravity_ attacked her and broke her foot," Donnie bit out unbelievingly. "So _something_ tell me that you guys _might_ have a better grip on this than _I_ will."

"Excuse me?"

"Ian wants you guys in Malta ASAP."

"I'm not sure that'd be such a fantastic idea, considering the last time that we were there."

"Ian said it had something to do with his Gravitonium, considering you guys were here when it happened _last time_? I don't know, I'm just relaying orders."

"We'll see what we can do." Hanging up the phone, he turned to Daisy. "Guess where we're going?"  
***  
Blinking groggily, she stared out the window, admiring the view. The gorgeous beach, the lively town, the dazzling sunset...

A knock interrupted her admiring. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Turning her head to the door, he stepped through, kissing her lightly. "So how bad is it?"

"Two fractured and two shattered bones in your foot, and your ankle was dislocated." He frowned. "Then the twelve stitches in your side and a hairline fracture to your skull. Whoever that guy was, he beat the hell out of you."

She gazed at her left foot in its cast. "While being a relatively third world country in the form of medicine, Malta did a good job. They must've dug into their stash of wisdom tooth Percocet; it feels like I'm orbiting Saturn right now."

"Ian called in doctors from America. First-world medicine. He's been on the phone all afternoon with various medicinal companies to become shareholders on your branch so Malta can better their medical practice."

"Which thankfully, Ian called me," Carroll stepped into the room. "Explain this to me, Miss Quinn; how does someone manage to actually put a dent in _you_?"

"They have the ability to change the rules of gravity and increase its pull or decrease it. The guy that did this increased it enough to make his foot about as heavy as a four car pileup mashed together."

"And they aren't Inhuman or Asgardian?"

"Human, as far as I could tell," Thalia shrugged. "His brain was like a bag of cats. Not a single coherent thought in there."

"So," Carroll stood at the foot of the bed, "I got a call from your gynecologist about rescheduling your appointment because you'd be traveling to Wakanda on Maltese business."

"He stood outside for the meeting."

"And another thing," Carroll smiled. "I heard you two finally tied the knot."

"In January," Donnie nodded.

"I knew you two made a good couple." She flipped through Thalia's chart. "So unfortunately for you, those stitches will have to stay in until your foot and your head heal. I honestly don't know how long it takes for Asgardian bones to heal from any kind of trauma. You'll need to have weekly checkups and x-rays to study their healing process. You'll need to have elevation of that foot, and I'll need to mix up some more magic morphine for you. You _are_ suspected of having a concussion, so I'm going to give Donnie a concussion checklist to monitor your symptoms. As for you," Carroll turned to him, "since she is your wife, I do expect you'll be monitoring her closely. Anything slips--"

"I'm responsible."

"And suffering." Carroll turned back to Thalia. "Mrs. Quinn, I've also been tasked with prepping you for travel back to the States. Help me get her out of bed."

As they began, another knock at the door interrupted them. "Someone call the florist?"

"Crazy Daisy!" Thalia greeted Daisy. "Help me out of bed."

"Your foot looks like my hands in their gauntlets."

"Broken, thanks for asking."

" _Damn_ ," Daisy whistled. "Coulson's down the hall with your dad."

"That sounds fun." Thalia rested her head against the pillow as Carroll lowered her leg to the bed. "Miss Carroll?"

"Yes?"

"When you were completing your residency, where did you do it?"

"A little hospital in New York, Mrs. Quinn."

"So the rumor _is_ true?" Daisy squealed. "Aw, I knew it!"

"Ow, my head..." Thalia covered her ears.

"She's having sound sensitivity issues."

Daisy smiled. "Sorry!" She whispered. "I'm gonna go outside and talk to Coulson."

She closed the door behind her. "Miss Carroll, I'd like a moment alone, please."

"I'll go get your discharge papers." She left and Thalia slowly brought her legs over the bed.

"The lasagna should be done by now. It'll be warm when we get home."

"Mm, food," she groaned. She reached for the crutches propped against the wall. "Get me on that plane, I'm starving."

Helping her stand, Donnie propped the crutches under her arms. Picking her purse up from the chair, he let her pass through the door. Slowly hobbling down the hall, she stopped in the doorway of the waiting room. Ian and Coulson appeared to be deep in conversation.

"He fell into it; Fitz-Simmons said that it was supposed to be a catalyst that stopped the generator."

"Well the thing that stopped that generator just crawled back out of it and broke my daughter's foot!"

"I'll need to talk with them about it and see how this could've happened."

"In the meantime, you and whoever you brought need to track Hall down and take him down. He put lives at risk with the stunt he pulled."

"Who's Hall?"

Coulson and Ian turned to face her. "He's a physicist. He was letting the Gravitonium run wild when Coulson took a hard call and shot the window he was standing on. Hall fell through into the Gravitonium."

"Hall... Franklin Hall?"

"Yes, Thalia." Ian nodded. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Well where is he now?"

"I'm afraid we don't know. Somewhere on the island still. He couldn't have gotten far."

Ian cupped her face. "Which is why I'm putting you and Donnie on the first plane back to America. The chopper's on the roof."

"But Dad--"

"Quit running towards the fight. Let others fight for once. Donnie, get her upstairs."

He picked her up, carrying her up the stairs to the helipad. Within a few minutes, Ian heard the whir of the helicopter engine, seeing it depart and fly further away. "She needs to stay out of this."

"Agreed. He wants to take you down. Lock that Gravitonium down and keep her as far away from here as possible."  
***  
"Thalia, you have a guest?" Donnie called from the front door. "Come in. I'll go get her."

Grabbing her crutches, she hopped off the barstool. "I'm coming," she swung her leg onto the floor, limping towards the door. A woman with blonde hair piled into a messy topknot on her head cocked a hip. "Can I help you?"

"Yep." The woman thrust her sharply manicured hand out. "I'm Justine."

"It's a rare occasion that I meet another fellow child prodigy. I would shake your hand," Thalia shook her crutches. "Lovely to meet you, Miss Hammer."

Donnie cocked an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware Mister Hammer had a daughter."

"I wasn't aware that the Gill family was so spread out," Justine commented. "Daddy told me that your family mainly works for us, but Drew's son went to work for Quinn Worldwide. So when I heard you guys were here, I thought I'd stop by."

"Well that's awfully nice of you," Thalia smiled weakly, swinging her foot back and forth.

"Come on you, let's keep that foot elevated," Donnie herded her back to the living room, propping her feet back up on the ottoman.

"Merci, mon mari," she smiled. "Justine can keep me company."

When he stacked her crutches against the chair, he left quickly. "Daddy didn't tell me he was so cute!" Justine gushed. "So how have you been?"

"My foot is throbbing and my dad has forbidden me from going back to Malta."

"Why?"

"Someone broke into the lab and bashed me in the head," Thalia pulled her hair up to show the white closures. "Knocked me out, stabbed me and broke my foot. He's running loose out there, so Dad sent Donnie and I back here."

"That's a bummer. My boarding school wouldn't let me take my classes from Paris, so I can relate." She leaned on the arm of the couch. "You starting college this fall?"

"Already finished."

"Wow. I wish I was that smart," she tapped a sharply filed crimson fingernail against her chin. "You wouldn't happen to know where the bathroom is?" She leaned in and whispered, "I need to change."

"Oh yeah, sure," she reached for her crutches and stood. "I wish my dad understood how it feels. He clams up when I even mention cramping."

"Ain't that true," Justine agreed. "When I first started, my dad hired a slew of people to pamper me because he had no clue how to deal."

"I keep spare stuff under the sink. Help yourself."

Justine offered an apologetic smile, closing the door. Slowly spinning in a circle, she smacked into Donnie's chest. "Ow!"

"What did I tell you?"

"What you said can go to hell," she spat. "I need to move."

"And your foot needs to heal." She shrugged off his recommendation as she continued to limp down the hall. "Thalia!"

"I'm feeling like a lazy do-nothing!" Hearing him running up behind her, she turned around, meeting his angry stare. "I'm not used to feeling so damn helpless!"

"You're on _crutches_! I could've easily told Carroll that I don't think you need to be moving around."

"You didn't have a problem snitching to her in Lyon. One snap at you and suddenly I'm back under the microscope for mood swings!"

"Lia..."

"There's just something about being incapacitated that makes me feel so off." She turned and began her limp to the kitchen. "I feel so embarrassed because of how I feel."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I always feel so--" she shrugged again, sitting on a barstool. "I feel so oversensitive and wanting to be around you. But we can't because you might hurt me or I might hurt me."

"So this restless feeling you have is because you miss being around me?" He let out a soft laugh. "Even with me being the way I am, I'm still nowhere as strong as you."

He sat behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "I feel like we can't do this unless the both of us are fine."

"Well, Mrs. Quinn," he began and she laughed, "I find the thought ludicrous. Being around loved ones is actually proven to decrease pain."

"Well my foot _does_ feel a little better," she smiled sleepily. Leaning backwards, she kissed him.

"Hey, Thalia," Justine called out, "I have to leave!" Her shoes clicked against the floor as she made her way to the kitchen. "Oh, I didn't mean to intrude," she stood in the entryway to the dining room.

"You're fine," Thalia smiled. "Show Justine the door, would you please?"

Donnie kissed her temple, standing and showing her out. When her phone began buzzing on the counter, she picked it up. "How are things?"

"I sent your painkillers to your pharmacy," Carroll switched the topic. "The stuff from the hospital is out, I assume?"

"That stuff managed to last a week."

"Well, I told you to stretch it. Good job."

"Thank you." She hung up the phone. "Donnie, we need to go out to town!"

She hopped off the barstool, her crutches back under her arms. He followed her out to the car, buckling her in. "Carroll called in your pain meds?"

"My Percocet finally ran out."

"You know it's not actually Percocet you've been taking."  
***  
"Maltese citizens have been fleeing to other parts of the island since he got out." Daisy pointed to a circled spot. "Gravity probes have shown fluctuations in the force here."

"Fitz-Simmons has been telling me that he must've been thrown out of the Gravitonium when the inner fields erupted and shot out." Coulson frowned deeply. "And he wants to put an end to the Quinn legacy. He thinks Ian's a bad man--"

"He is correct."

He shot a stare at Daisy. "And he's grouping Thalia in by association."

"Well, she is literally his spawn."

"I thought you two were back on civil terms."

"We are!" Daisy affirmed. "I'm just trying to see this from Hall's perspective."

"Well, it's not helping."

"Speaking of Thalia, I heard Carroll refer to her as 'Mrs. Quinn'."

"Really? Then guess who gets to update their profiles?"

"He who conceives it receives it," Daisy laughed. "Kidding. I'll get it done." The computer began beeping. "Probes are hot, we got him!"  
***  
"What is going on?" Thalia glanced towards the beginning of the line. "It feels like I've been waiting for hours."

"We're second in line, Lia." He looked down at her foot. "Try stretching your leg out a bit."

Lowering her foot to the ground, she whimpered and immediately brought it back up. "Pins and needles," she complained. He briefly pecked her.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. Stay here."

"Well no dip, Sherlock!" She laughed, and he kissed her ring before kissing her again. "Don't take too long."

People looked at her lovestruck when he left, and she took a step forward. Standing at the desk, she looked at the pharmacist. "I'm here for my prescription?"

"Yes. Mrs. Thalia Quinn?" The pharmacist plucked a bag off the rail. "You have a bottle of OxyContin. This is one tablet every four hours. It can be refilled once with doctor authorization as it is a medicine prone to abuse." He tapped a few keys. "That'll be $57.40."

"I thought my insurance covered copays."

"Your insurance has an exemption that will not cover injuries or medicines called in from outside the U.S."

"Okay, let me get my wallet." Slinging her purse up onto the counter, she began to paw through its contents. A set of footsteps came up behind her. "Just a second," she muttered softly, finding the wallet and bringing out her card. Offering it to the pharmacist, she frowned when he cowered under the counter. "I hope you realize if I get on the floor, it'll take me too long to get back up."

"Jewelry and money, on the counter."

"I'll pass." Swiping her card through the scanner, she signed and picked up her bag, stapling it closed. "I have medicine to take."

"If I don't get what I want--"

"You'll what? Shoot someone? Me? Them?" She narrowed her eyes. "Because I doubt there's any way this ends with you getting my wedding ring."

He charged at her, and her fingers curled around the barrel of a hypodermic needle. Unearthing it, she rested the capped tip of the needle against his neck. "Tut, tut," she clicked her tongue. "This is why nobody I don't want touching me doesn't. Who would want to gamble with what might go into their veins?" Her gaze flickered to the gun in his hands. "Back up."

Grabbing a crutch, she slowly walked him out the door. "Now get out of here."

The man took off running. Turning around, she hobbled back inside, adding the needle back to her purse. Taking a Vitamin Water from the fridge, she slapped a few dollar bills onto the counter, opening her prescription bag and shaking two pills into her palm. Tossing them back with a swallow, she added both bottles to her purse.

Donnie emerged from the bathroom, drying his hands on his pants. "You ready?"

She nodded, picking up her crutches. "Come on, slowpoke."

"I'm a slowpoke?" He laughed. "Says the one with crutches?"

"You're an ass."  
***  
"I want this over with," Thalia grumbled, glowering at her foot. Donnie ran his hand up her leg. "I'd like to be entirely in the tub."

He brought his hand back under the water. "I know. It sucks." She leaned her head back on his shoulder. He rested his hand on her lower stomach. "I heard you put that syringe in your purse to someone's neck."

"He tried taking my ring."

He chuckled. "Come here," he pulled her closer, kissing her. His hand brushed her stitches and accidentally pulled one out. "Sorry!" He sat her on the edge of the tub.

"It wasn't you," she pulled the rest of the stitches out, watching the wound heal. "That must mean those broken bones are healing up."

"I need to call Carroll then," he rose from the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist.

"Mon amour..."

He turned around. "Here," he helped her into her robe, giving her crutches to her. Limping into the room, she sat in a wingback chair, her foot propped up. "Hey, Carroll, her stitches came out."

"Do you have an Ace bandage?" He nodded. "Okay, do exactly as I say."

Forty minutes later, he clipped the bandage around her foot. "Those bones are healed, but we need to keep your foot wrapped until Carroll can see it."

She smiled at the icy, cracked plaster, suddenly remembering the closures in her forehead. "Help get the rest of this stuff off me."

An hour later, they laid surrounded in blankets in their bed. She laid herself down on top of him, saying, "A week."

"A week?"

"For the bones in my foot to heal." She traced the muscles in his shoulder, slowly tracing his jaw and nose. "Donnie?"

"Yes?" As he answered, he took her hand, kissing the pads of her fingers.

"I love you," she said honestly. She kissed him, her arms resting on either side of his head. "Don't ever forget it."

"I won't," he promised. "Because I love you, too."

He kissed her softly. "So I go see the gynecologist tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"My hysteroscopy follow up. See how I'm doing."

"Well, I hope everything turns out good." He reached for the light. "Get some rest, Lia. You'll need it."  
***  
Daisy peered around the edge of a building, where Hall was kneeling on the ground. Rocks and small toys floated in the air around him. "Doctor Hall!"

He looked up, and everything fell. "Who are you?"

"My name's Daisy," she came out from behind the wall. "I'm like you. Kinda."

"Like me? A freak of nature with no control?"

"I got control," she remarked.

"I almost did a bad thing," he answered, looking at himself. "I almost killed someone."

"Are they okay?"

"She was pretty stunned. I didn't even know what happened at first; I lost my glasses and couldn't see and I stepped on something that just gave way underneath my foot. I found my glasses and saw it was a girl, and I had just crushed her foot like it was made of cards.

"I tried waking her up, but then I saw her face. The face of an evil man who ruins the world for his own profit. And I knew I--" he looked at her. "I picked up the biggest piece of rock I could find and I--"

"You didn't kill her." Daisy cocked her head. "Why?"

"I got control," he shrugged. "But I don't want it."

"Why not?"

"I've opened my eyes. I'm doing this for them."

"Doing what for who?" Daisy felt her fingers begin to twitch. "Doctor Hall?"

A piece of the concrete flew at her and she ducked, sending pulses into the ground. The concrete began buckling and cracking under Hall, and he rolled around before floating upwards. "I'm getting rid of the bad guys. Everyone who wants control."

Another piece of concrete flew at her and it clipped her forehead, knocking her out.  
***  
"Miss Quinn," Doctor Patton beamed as she entered the room. "Or shall I say Mrs. Quinn?"

"You heard," she smiled.

"Who hasn't heard?" Patton sat down. "So tell me. Who's the lucky guy?"

"Aren't I supposed to be getting a checkup?"

"I know you just about as well as he does."

"That's disturbing, Doctor Patton."

"Well?"

"Here," she pulled her phone out, flicking through her gallery until she found a good picture. "That is Donnie."

"God truly makes no mistakes," Patton admired the picture. "Especially on that face. Must be pleasant risings in the morning."

"Doctor Patton!"

"Thalia," she grinned. "I am a doctor, I am allowed to ask these things."

"You're allowed to ask how sexually active I am?"

"Speaking as your gynecologist, yes, I am." Patton shifted in her seat. "But I have something serious to tell you."

"Is something wrong?"

"I normally wouldn't recommend such a thing. I assume you and Donnie are sexually active?" When Thalia nodded, Patton then said, "I want you to try and get pregnant."

Thalia fell quiet. "Beg pardon?"

"Well, with your case, it's...unique, I'll admit. I've never met someone your age with such infertility issues. And after viewing the results of your hysteroscopy slash biopsy, the blockages removed appeared to have been there for a while. So all of your menstruating and fertility problems could be because of these blockages."

"It couldn't cause any problems with my period unless--"

"This blockage had backed into your Fallopian tubes." Patton nodded. "And with your medical history being a mystery, I can't even begin to fathom how it happened. But now that it's gone, with your birth control pills balancing out your hormone levels, I want you to see if it's possible for you to get pregnant."

"I can't even get pregnant on accident, how am I gonna do it on purpose?"

"My honest, doctorly opinion? The next time you are intimate, don't use condoms." She then muttered to herself, "The day came that actually crossed my lips. Oh, the sweet irony."

"So you're telling me that just for kicks, you want me to get pregnant?"

"If you do not manage to conceive in a six month period, then I'll look further into it and see about other options. Note that, Thalia, you can choose to ignore this. It's your choice. I'm not going to force you."

"But Doctor Patton, what does it mean, other options?"

"IVF, surrogate parenting, those types of things." Patton stood. "But that is completely up to you."

"Thank you." She stood. "Donnie's waiting for me."

She left the office, crutches in hand as she approached their car and climbed in. _So I had an interesting visit._

_Really?_ Donnie glanced at her in the rearview mirror. _How so?_

_I'm not kidding you when she said this, but Doctor Patton actually wants me to try and get pregnant._

He looked at her again in the mirror. _Isn't that kind of impossible?_

_Which is what I said, but she said the blockage is gone and my hormone levels are all normal. So she wants to see if that combo of factors could be what caused it._

_I know we haven't really talked much about it, but if you want to--_

_I want to think on it. That door might be wide open now and I want to make sure I want it before I step through._

_Your information packet for the house in Mont-Tremblant came in._

"Really? Where is it?"

"Back at home. I left them on the counter for you when we get back." Turning on a turning signal, he said, "Don't forget to stretch your foot."

"You've wrapped it like a boa constrictor!" She held out her foot, making him smirk as he backed into the garage. "Rub my feet, would you?"

He turned off the engine. "I'll do it while you fill out that paperwork."  
***  
"He's gone," Daisy winced as Coulson pressed a bandage over her forehead. "He's not on Malta anymore."

"Where could he have gone?" Her hands cautiously pushed back her hair. "Malta's water locked."

"Not sure. But he found somewhere to be." Coulson sat back. "We need to look for him."

"The only way we can is with gravity probes, and there aren't a ton of those around."

"We could scan the places that do have them."

"Let's get started, then."

"We gotta recuperate."  
***  
"With that out of the way," Thalia pushed the packet away, "I need a drink."

After rigorous rechecks of the surrounding area, she slowly grabbed a crutch, hopping off the barstool. Limping to the fridge, she opened the door, her search proving fruitless. _Hey Donnie, where's the Cherry Coke at?_

_I told you that won't help your bones heal._

_Well I know, but I'm craving something sweet._ Hearing a rustle of fabric, she turned, missing a flash of red in her peripheral vision. "Donnie?"

The red returned, and a floating, hooded, red figure loomed over her. The cape that lazily twirled in the air suddenly formed a straight edge, slicing through the air. A small shriek left her mouth, and she dropped into splits on the floor. _Blizzard!_

She rolled under the cape, hiding under the bar and seeing its shadow coming towards her. Pressing herself further into the wall, the cape then wrapped itself around the barstools, pulling them out one by one. She curled into herself, trying to tuck her foot in and make herself as small as possible. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she covered her face to muffle her breathing.

Everything fell eerily quiet. Then he silently bent down and picked her up. Hissing at the movement, she was then set down on a barstool, her foot propped up on another. When she leaned on the bar, Donnie stepped out of the suit, letting it deconstruct. "What was that? Are you okay?"

"Twisted my ankle and now it hurts," she gasped softly when he took her wrapped foot in his hands. As he began unwinding the wrap around her foot, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Yes, I'm calling from Canadian Immigration Services on the concerns of a citizenship application under the name Thalia Quinn?"

"This is she," she winced when his fingers began prodding her bruised ankle. "Is something wrong?"

"No! I just thought to call because it seems you already have citizenship status in Canada."

"What?"

"It says here that a request for citizenship was made under your name back in...2009." The woman cleared her throat. "So according to what my screen has been saying, you've been a Canadian citizen for the past few years."

"That's good news. On my end, how do I go about getting the same for my husband?"

"Also on that front, that paperwork was pushed through and completed last December. I'm reading here that the two of you are being sent your Maple Leaf Cards. Yours is updated."

"Well thank you," she smiled, ending the call. "Guess what?"

"Hm?"

"Our citizenships have been accepted. We are now Canadian."

Donnie looked up at her. "I thought that was supposed to take years."

"Grant Ward's final gift to me: a chance to start fresh with you." She took his hand, kissing his knuckles. "When you get finished, we need to celebrate."

"Agreed." He pulled her forward. "We're getting out of here and starting anew."

He smiled at her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Vous pouvez me faire un verre de Cherry Coke, s'il vous plaît?"

"Must I tell you that stuff won't help you? Milk will." He sat her down on the barstool, trotting to the fridge and bringing back a glass of chocolate milk. "Le boire."

"No."

"Thalia, now." She reluctantly took the cup, downing the contents. Setting the cup on the bar, the tip of her tongue poked out above her lip, wiping the traces of milk away. "Thank you. Now you need to rest your foot."  
***  
"Honestly, it's been a rather uneventful week."

"So getting attacked by a crimson cape doesn't stack up?"

"Really?" Carroll raised an eyebrow. "Seems like you're prime real estate for targeted terrorist attacks."

"Did you know Justin Hammer had a daughter?"

"Justine?" Carroll nodded, gently manipulating Thalia's foot. "She's a character. At just a year old, her mother threw her into a big court battle with the millionaire, claiming that she was his child. To avoid further humiliation, he took her in."

"Wow."

"Which makes her jealous of you because your father welcomed you with open arms." Carroll put down her foot. "Point your foot."

She did as she was told. "And it looks like it's healed up. Keep movements light and don't wear heels."

"No, really?"

"As I said before, no sarcasm, Mrs. Quinn." Unwrapping the Ace bandage, she said, "You're good to go."

Nodding, Carroll left the house. _Donnie._

_Is she gone?_

_She just left._ Thalia laughed. "Donnie, you're quite literally in the bathroom. Come out."

He peered around the wall, coming to her side. "So what did she say?"

"She said my foot is good. I just gotta be careful with it and not wear heels for a while." Holding it up, she teasingly asked, "Will you rub my foot, husband of mine?"

"Do I have to?"

"Do you _want_ to sleep on the couch?"

"We're already starting that?" He snorted. "I guess I'll have to take you with me."

"Fine," she turned her nose up. He wrapped his hands around the backs of her knees, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around him. He leaned forward to kiss her and she pressed a finger to his mouth. "I'm keeping my eye on you."

"Why?"

"Saint Patrick's Day is a little over a week away," she raised an eyebrow. "I wake up to you drunkenly trying to kiss me and I will tackle you."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled. She moved her finger and pulled him in. Letting his hands wander up her thighs, she let out a soft whine, biting her lip. "Are you enjoying it too much?"

"As you said once, I want you so bad I can barely breathe. But I have this fantastic thing called patience that allows me to wait until we--"

"Are alone? In our bedroom?" He asked. "Like we are now?"

She looked around. "Oh, we are?" Her little gasps of laughter grew in volume as he pressed her back into the cushions on the couch. "Donnie," she laughed between gasps of air, his fingertips expertly locating sensitive spots along her ribs. Falling silent, they locked gazes with one another; each attempt to move closer was mirrored by each other and they backed away. Donnie instead cupped her cheek, kissing the bridge of her nose and trailing small kisses down her nose and onto her philtrum. Shifting her hands underneath of him, she slowly pushed him up, supporting him on her hands and feet. "To prove my point, I'm still stronger than you."

"I'm only a hundred and fifty some odd pounds, Thalia," he remarked. "That's like lifting a penny off the ground."

"More like a dime," she giggled. "Words can't express attractiveness, but numbers can. Ten out of ten."

"You're funny."

Lowering him down, Thalia pouted. "Am I not allowed to compliment my husband's face?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I thought I'd be nice for once," she pouted again, flipping around so that she straddled his hips. "I see what _that_ gets me."

"A bad attitude over a teasing comment?" He smiled, and her moody expression softened. "Because your gorgeous face doesn't need those lines."

His careful thumb smoothed the lines away from her mouth. She leaned into the touch, steam slipping from out between her parted lips and over his hand. His other hand curved around her waist, gaze falling to the taut fabric of the pencil skirt that stretched across her thighs. "I don't need your lines. They're always so corny."

"Yet you eat them up," he chuckled. Both of his hands enclosed her hips, and he gently pushed down; she pressed both her hands against his stomach, a single sound of pleasure leaving her lips in a cloud of steam.

"Donald Vincent Gill, I swear to God, no more surprises. You've given me enough of those." Her heart rate jumped as the hem of her skirt slowly crept up her thigh. "Donnie, I'm serious." It rose several inches before stopping, with her fully straddling his lap and a dark hunger in his eyes. "It's my turn."

"Whatever did I do to deserve such treatment?"

"Well, if you must know, there's quite the laundry list. There's caring for me and my broken foot," she began pulling his belt through the buckle, "being my personal orgasm creator, although that might be more or less something I can pat _myself_ on the back for."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? I save money."

"Oh, what else?" She brightened. "There's the cooking for me, the fantastic sex, the emotional support, the truly fantastic sex--"

"You counted sex twice."

"There's this saying: 'When I count my blessings, I count you twice'. You can bet your ass I'll count it. Now back to the topic." Playing with the buckle on his belt, she added, "Then there's your everything. And that's it."

"I feel honored," he smiled, swatting her hands away. "Can I ask for one thing?"

"Anything."

He sat up, keeping her in his lap. "Don't ever, and I mean ever, ever change."

"You either. You're way too good and mine to be robbing houses or something like that."

"There aren't words that describe how you are right now."

"Disheveled? Debauched?" He shot a glare at her that made her blush. "Too harsh?"

"I think you know." Taking the back clasp of her bra, he folded it into itself until the hooks came undone. "You look tired."

"Now that you mention it." She shrugged out of the bra, blinking slowly and pulling the undergarment out of her shirt. "I want a shower."

He carried her to the bathroom. "Don't go carrying on like that. You need to let me know when you need something, even something as menial as a shower."

Filling the bathtub with warm water, he quickly undressed her, tying her hair back and watching her sink in. "The heat feels phenomenal on my foot."

"Thalia, when do you want to start packing?"

"God, I didn't even begin thinking about that," she rested her head against the rim of the tub. "Tomorrow, at the earliest. I need to go through my closet and see which clothes I want to pack down and which ones I want to keep. You can get started if you want."

Closing her eyes, he took her hand, rubbing the back in soothing circles. "I'll be back in an hour."

True to his word, he returned an hour later, rousing her from her short nap. "It's interesting how you manage to sleep in there," he joked. Offering her a towel, she accepted it, wrapping it around herself and leaning on him. "You're still tired?"

She nodded. "My body just expended who knows how much energy healing four broken bones, a hairline fracture to my skull and a stab wound to the side. I'm exhausted."

Leading her back into their room, she chuckled softly at the progress he had already made: a stack of flattened boxes was next to the couch, a few fully assembled and half packed. The feel of it slowly sank in; it was intrinsically surreal, yet subtly enervating, as though the thought of packing and moving both invigorated and drained her at the same time.

"Bed." Donnie put her in bed, kissing her forehead. "I'll finish up."  
***  
When the warmth of the sun bathed her back, she opened her eyes, grinning at Donnie's sleeping form next to her. Snuggling up to his side, his arm snaked around her. "Good morning."

"And she arises," Donnie teased. "You slept like the dead."

"Well, it prevented me from being dead," she yawned. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven," he climbed out of bed. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving, mon amour," she clutched her stomach. "I feel like I could eat a grand feast."

"Knowing your appetite, you probably would. What're you hungry for?"

"Everything!" Thalia giggled.

"Everything it is." Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he left her laying in bed, where she promptly rolled over into where he slept, becoming comfortable with the cold spot he left behind. Taking a deep breath, she sank into the bed, falling back asleep when the house began to shriek.

Shooting into a sitting position, she scanned the house; weird buzzing then filled her head. "Ow," she shook her head, reaching for her robe and slipping into it. _Thalia_ \--

Trying to connect back to Donnie, the buzzing in her head instead further separated the two. Holding her hand out, sparks flickered between her fingers as they began to pale considerably, quickly taking her over when the red-hooded figure entered the room. "You're brave coming back here." Her eyes flitted over the prehensile cloak, billowing around the intruder.

"I'm only here for you," the figure reached within the cloak to pull out a bright blue mixture in a tube. "Come peacefully and nobody gets hurt."

"That started a decades-spanning war." Thalia tried to clear the buzzing from her head to concentrate on the intruder's brain activity. "Maybe you should give it back."

"Your tech won't work on me," the figure cackled. "Remote neurotransmission interfaces are tricky things to block out."

Falling silent, her gaze fell to the crimson-clawed hand tucking the tube back into the side of its suit and an idea formed in Thalia's head. "I wasn't asking," she growled, sweeping her hand from behind her towards the intruder, forming a wave of ice that pinned them against the wall. The cloak formed large fists, smashing the ice as she leaped forward, fingertips grazing the tube when a heavy hit from a fist sent her flying over the couch. A quick-handed movement had her hit a wall of snow, but the hit was still rough, putting a dent in the wall and sending it into an explosion of flurries. Shakily coming to her feet, she reached out for the flurries, letting them swirl around her frantically before throwing them at the intruder.

"That's cute, Katara," they chuckled, ducking out of the way. Scowling, Thalia held out her hands, wrapping them in a blizzard.

"It's cute until you start to freeze to death," Thalia grinned maliciously, the air growing colder around them. The crimson cloak began twitching sporadically, dying and collapsing into a heap of fabric around the intruder. The icy storm swirled faster and faster around them, electricity crackling in the clouds and along her arms, branching off her fingertips. They began buckling to the ground, shivering uncontrollably.

"P-please s-stop..."

"Why? You broke into my home," Thalia echoed amusedly. "I'm only defending myself."

" _Khione!_ "

Spinning around, the storm died down enough for her to see Donnie in his Blizzard suit. The flurry that wrapped itself around her immediately dissipated. "Mon tempête de neige," she answered courteously.

"On ne tue pas les gens."

"Je peux faire mon propre travail sale, je n'ai pas besoin de ton aide," she snarled.

"Vous êtes bien trop bon pour avoir du sang sur vos mains," he spat, and her heart warmed slightly. "Suis-je pas raison?"

"Vous êtes, ma tempête de neige," she answered quietly. "Je m'excuse."

"Khione," he chuckled. She brightened, losing her attention on the intruder long enough for the cloak to turn back on and form another fist, hitting her in the face. As soon as she hit the hardwood floor, Donnie leaped into action, forming thick icicles in his hands and using them as throwing knives. Thalia shook her head slightly, touching a few fingertips to her lip and finding warm liquid smeared across her face. Seeing the blood smeared on her face, the intruder barked out an odd, short laugh. Bright light then quickly assaulted their vision, fading out and leaving the two of them clearly dazed, their intruder now gone. Donnie stepped out of his suit, cradling her face. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, just bloodied a bit." Her eyes widened at him. "Mon amour, you're bleeding, too."

Blood oozed from a nasty, bruising gash along his forearm and he winced. "Come on, let's get cleaned up."

"Donnie, whoever they were, they looked really excited that I was bleeding. And that you were bleeding, too."

"Yeah, because people nowadays are crazy."

"They had a blue test tube. I-I don't know what it was, but they said they needed me for it." She looked up at him. "It couldn't be..?"

"No, you made only six vials of that stuff, then had it locked away, along with the formula. It's not the Serum." Tilting her jaw to the side, he swiftly changed the subject, remarking, "It looks like that hit split your lip open right here," while touching the curve of her bottom lip with the edge of his thumb. She hissed, and he helped her stand, walking to the bathroom. "Come on, the sooner we can get it cleaned, the faster it'll heal."  
***

"We can't confirm or deny that it's gone. Nobody even knows how to open that box!"

"Wait a minute, you're telling me it was there all along?"

"Someone must've moved it during inventory because I found it shoved behind the nitramene bomb case. I have no clue how to get this stupid thing open," Maria scowled as she twisted the cube in different directions. "It's a Rubiks cube from Hell."

"Give it to me," Daisy held her hand out. "Let me try something."

Passing the cube to Daisy, Maria watched as Daisy began applying vibrations to it. Instead, the cube shocked her, causing her to drop it on the floor. "She booby-trapped that thing all right."

"It's tamper resistant," Maria concluded. "Designed to when tampered with or attempted to be opened without following a specific pattern, it'll incapacitate the thief with an electric shock more powerful than a taze graze."

"This messed with my gauntlets." Daisy reluctantly removed her gauntlets. "I think that whatever was inside of that thing better be important enough to piss off a very well known genius."

Coulson frowned. "And scare a handful more."

Maria looked up, creasing her forehead. "How many more?"

"Her father, and a handful of other scientists that were part of the Safe Science program. They're rightfully pissed, too. The stuff in here is very dangerous and the fact that someone broke in is scaring them."

Maria's finger then pressed to her ear. "Right away, ma'am." She looked up. "I have to conduct an interview. Very brief one, but still."

"Safe Science applicant?"

"Not sure, but we have to turn away everyone until we figure this out."  
***  
"Mrs. Quinn, are we ready to begin?"

"Yep," she smoothed down her skirt. "Let's go." Striding into the conference room, two faces stared back: Donnie's and a stern woman's. "Sorry."

"You're perfectly fine, Mrs. Quinn. I requested this meeting to start."

"Miss Northweather, may my husband and I request the reason behind the meeting?"

"Being Safe Science Ambassador to your company, I've called this meeting because a member of your network had their operation compromised. We don't know what was taken or how they got in, but now people are scared. Many are questioning the security of this program."

"Is there any way that we can help?"

"Direct traffic," Northweather shrugged. "It'd be a good way to utilize your storage."

"Who do we have?"

"MIT went straight to Stark first, but they flat out rejected the applicant because of how young she is. When I heard, I thought of our own 'young minds, young future' motto and put in a word." The older woman slid a file to them. "You can take your time looking at it and let me know whether or not you want to accept." Northweather stood and bowed her head. "Thank you for your time."

"Assois-toi," Thalia nodded her head towards a chair. As her gaze flickered between the pages, she asked, "Could we meet the candidate?"

"I can make some calls."

"Within the week, if you can. Donnie, take a look at this. Fifteen years old with a 189 IQ. Engineering major."

His eyes quickly scanned the papers before saying, "I accept."

"We conduct in-person interviews. For authenticity." Thalia raised an eyebrow. _It gives me the opportunity to check her out, Donnie._

_And I know that. I'm just letting you I accept her._

_I know you do. You both could use the friendship._ "So it's decided? We accept her application?"

"Yes ma'am, we do," Donnie answered her, his eyes lighting up. Thalia nodded in agreement.

"Then let me get on the phone." Northweather stood and left the room. Thalia stood. Donnie stood, an easy smile on his face; she kissed him softly.

"I worry for whoever it was that was compromised."

He frowned. "You don't know who it is?"

"Not even Sarah knew. And she's Quinn Worldwide's _ambassador_ for Safe Science. She'd tell us if she knew."

"Lia, why don't we head home?"

"Is your arm bothering you again?"

"No, we could see if maybe Daisy or someone up their alley knows about it?"

"Good call," she picked up the file and speed walked out of the room. He quickly matched her pace to the parking garage, opening the trunk of their car. "Power on."

Donnie raised his eyebrows when bright blue lines streaked across the box in the back, followed by a soft hiss and the top popped open, displaying a safe like interior. "What is that?"

"Our private Vault. I keep only certain effects in here. Only unlocks under controlled biometric variables." She turned her attention back to the box. "Allow myself and Donnie access."

Donnie jumped when the box then asked, "Anything else?"

"Standard Secrecy Protocol, Aisia. Thank you."

"As always." She closed the lid, and the box returned to glossy black. "Now--"

"What the--?"

"Miss Potts's gift? It was a safe, so that whatever secrets I want to keep hidden will stay hidden this time around. And speaking of your arm, I'll need to check it when we get home."

"It's fine," he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, showing the smooth skin left behind. "See?"

"She scared me with that one."

"You're telling me that intruder was a she?"

"It was the cutout of her leotard or whatever. It was a feminine cut."

"But you couldn't tell who it was?"

"She said her tech blocked my remote neurotransmitting."

"You couldn't get into her head." Tentatively, he asked _It's not due to your concussion, is it?_

_It had to be some kind of tech she had. I was cut off from everything. Even you._

"That's never good. You know that."

Thalia frowned. "What can we do?"

"If she has the ability to block out your telepathy, then we need to find a way around it. Or find out who it is."

"I'm liking that second option."

"But it's out of the question because your telepathy doesn't work around her. And that means so is the first option because her cloak is cybernetic and very prehensile." He growled softly. "I hate this."

"We will be fine, Donnie. The two of us are extremely hard to kill." Closing the trunk of the car, she stepped between their car and the wall. "Living proof."

"I don't doubt you in the slightest."

Unrolling the sleeve of his shirt, she fixed the cuff around his wrist. "Then shall we go back?"

He nodded softly. "Thalia?"

She turned towards him. "Mon amour?"

"What about using...magic?"  
***  
Daisy stuck the edge of her thumbnail between her lips as she observed a laser trying to cut through the tough outer box of Thalia's invention. "You're waiting for grass to grow."

"Thalia's inventions are dangerous in the wrong hands. I'm trying to make sure it's still there."

"But you don't know whether or not it's in there."

"Which is why I'm waiting here!" Daisy snapped. Then she said softly, "I'm sorry, Mack. I'm just stressed and anxious that this will not be in there and that we will have another disaster on our hands."

"This has happened before?"

"Well, not exactly," Daisy shrugged anxiously. "Thalia's vision came true. Our field teams have reported highly dangerous Terrigen bombs. James stole them and passed them out to the Watchdogs, who've then turned around and used a handful of them to force-Turn Inhumans out there and slaughter them. We're counting two hundred fifty casualties worldwide, so far."

"My God." Mack ran a hand over his head. "Has anyone told her?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. still isn't allowed on Quinn's property."

"We need to bring them in, somehow," Mack mused. "Like protection or something like that?"

"It looks like we don't have to do anything." Daisy pressed a finger to her ear. "We're having an Inhuman riot on our hands." She looked up. "Right outside Thalia's Quinn Worldwide branch."

***

"I don't think that's a good idea, Donnie. I'm not trained like Amora is or even my mom. I don't think I could do it!"

"Well it's the only avenue we haven't tried yet, I figured."

"You also need to figure that I can't! I've never done it, and if I'm honest, I might cause more harm with how much of a novice I am."

Hearing shouting outside the parking garage, Donnie turned to the window while her fingers sparked nervously. "We need to get out of here. Grab your staff."

"Your suit." Thalia opened the trunk and retrieved their things, sparks racing across the surface of his suit and turning it on. "Come on, we have to go." 

"Where do you think you're going?" Thalia spun around to see their recurring foe. "This party's for you!"

"The Crimson Cowl," Thalia spat, able to vaguely sense her fury at the moniker. "We weren't given invitations."

"Not when you're the guests," she landed softly on the concrete floor. "And there's no point in leaving." Instead of a blush spreading over her cheeks, she felt her transformation take over, shifting into her icy form in front of Crimson. "Attagirl. Come with us." Crimson's cloak swirled around Donnie.

"What are you doing?" Donnie seized up at the cloak wrapping around him. "Let me go!" Crimson then backed up to the window, intending to step backwards out the window.

"You harm him and you'll see me walk right out of here."

Crimson then pulled him close and launched herself out of the window. Running towards them, Thalia leaped from the window, the wind rushing around her until she hit the ground, causing the ground to rumble underneath her feet. "Careful," Crimson snickered. "Wouldn't want to cause the ground to shake when you walk."

"Are you okay?" she mouthed to Donnie, who nodded frantically. Standing, she twirled the staff. "What do you want?"

"I need you," Crimson explained. "That easy."

"Awfully vague, don't you think?"

"Fine." She raised her crimson clawed hand, flicking it towards Thalia. As Inhumans charged forward, Thalia twirled her staff around to face her front, slamming its end into the ground. Everything next happened in slow motion: ice spread over the concrete and grass, slowly coming up over their feet and encapsulating the Inhumans in ice. She gasped softly, appearing as shocked as Crimson and Donnie. More charged towards her and she began to panic, finding her options running out. _Can't use electricity, can't kill them, what to do, what to do..._

Creating a wall of ice, she was backed up against a wall, the ends of her staff repeatedly hitting many in the face and away from her. Shooting ice spikes up around her, she felt her heart pounding a fast rhythm, enough to be felt through her skin; immediately, a sense of calmness settled over her, and without a thought passing through her head, a loud, metallic screeching tore through the air, along with the rumbling of the pavement. When a loud _crack_ laced the air, water shot up through a gaping crack in the concrete. Cold wind whipped around them, and the water began freezing and taking shape, forming a large, icy creature that let out a deafening roar.

Everyone looked up in awe and horror. Immediately it began devastating the Inhumans that gathered, freeing Thalia and allowing her to run to Donnie's side. "Get out of here!"

"Did you do that?" He pointed to the ice monster that terrorized their assailants. "Khione, did you _make_ that thing?"

"Get out of here," she pointed to the barricade that mysteriously formed within a few minutes. "They'll protect you."

"Who'll protect _you_?"

"Donnie, _get out of here_!" The echo in her voice was more prominent and he immediately backed away, running to safety. Crimson dodged the icy swings aimed at her, and Thalia looked down at her fingertips, surrounded with ethereal, icy blue ribbons of...magic.

"So somehow you still pull tricks out of your sleeve," she snarled, swinging her fists. Too busy with controlling the monster to notice, a bright pain seared her jaw and she hit the ground, her head hitting the concrete with a dull _thud_. Her icy creation crumpled, falling to a pile of snow and flurries. "Always an out!" She shrieked, knuckles connecting with Thalia's temple and knocking her head against the pavement again, causing her vision to turn blurry. A dull ache began to form behind her eyes. "Now I've got you right where I want you," Crimson panted, closing a hand around her throat. Weakened and lethargic, she grabbed Crimson's exposed wrist, and another searing pain burned through her, causing her to electrocute the exposed skin. A brief sweep of a cold object passed under her ear caused her to shudder softly. Warbling noises over her blew Crimson off her, followed by an explosion of white. Now the electricity within her was jittery and crackling, vibrating and shaking within her head and cutting her off from any feeling. 

"Coulson, that thing _teleported_  out of here--"

"There's gotta be something in that cloak--"

"Sir, she's got blood gushing out of her ears and nose--"

"Thalia, please don't leave me..."

***

_Beep, beep, beep..._

The jolt of her head hitting the pavement, pretty sure she cracked it...

_Beep, beep, beep..._

She actually performed her first feat of _magic..._

_Beep, beep, beep..._

That beeping was getting awfully annoying...

And she forced her eyes open. The room was empty around her, save for Donnie slumped over in the chair, sleeping somehow and her bed surrounded in machines. Wires were woven in with her hair, likely reading to EEG monitors and other various monitors that read vitals. Damn it, the names were so simple, why weren't they coming to her?

Wires peeked out from her gown, an oxygen tube fastened to her face. At this point, so much of this had become normal for her. But there was one detail that stood out above the rest.

_Why_  were both her and Donnie handcuffed to the rests on their bed and chair?

"Donnie..."

"I told you, Phil, we don't keep secrets from each other, that isn't how this works!" She cocked an ear towards the door. "We don't keep secrets for a reason: bad publicity! Do you know how _frustrating_  it was getting a call that there's a massive Inhuman riot going on outside Quinn Worldwide that somehow managed to have a twenty foot tall _ice monster_  make an appearance? Along with the fact that the one that summoned it is a possible Inhuman Maltese diplomat who everyone assumed was dead, and her head was being caved in by some kook in a red cape?"

"Donnie, wake up..."

"You were hiding two unregistered Gifteds that pose a significant threat to the well being of this organization under my nose!"

She cried out in pain at the noise, her cuffed hand reaching up towards her forehead and being stopped short. 

"Sir, she sounds like she's awake, I need to examine her."

The door opened and Jemma stepped in, along with none other than Carroll. "So it seems death brushed you by yet again, Mrs. Quinn."

"Why?"

"Well, to begin," Jemma flipped open her folder, "you had a severe concussion that hadn't fully healed, and the force of your head hitting that pavement, multiple times, mind you, caused a blood clot to form in your parietal lobe that would've killed you if it wasn't for the seizures that followed."

"Seizures which due to their severity in your case, ruptured blood vessels in your parietal lobe and limbic system, thus breaking up that clot in your brain and causing the severe bleeding out of your nose and ears," Carroll added sternly. "So as we've now found now, the reason why you're alive after this event is because two things that should've killed you canceled out. I would say congratulations, but..."

"Who's yelling out there?" Thalia asked softly. "Whoever it is, it's giving me a headache."

"Mister Mace," Carroll poked her head out the door, "you need to quiet down."

"She's awake?" A man with a neatly combed hairdo stepped into the room. "Good. Mrs. Quinn, pardon my noise level. I'm sorry, Mrs. Quinn, you're married?"

"Yes," she looked at Donnie, who was finally beginning to awaken. "Mon amour?"

"Oh thank God, you're awake," Donnie moved forward when his hand snapped back. "What the hell is this?"

"Now, here's where my presence comes in," Mace looked sternly at them. "You two do realize that you're illegal Gifteds working under S.H.I.E.L.D. on U.S. soil?"

"Incorrect," Donnie snapped. "My wife and I are Maltese-Canadian-Americans. Living in a Maltese embassy."

"Yet your wife runs a business on American soil, and was nearly beaten to death on said property after summoning a twenty foot tall ice monster in view of the public."

"Yet as I said, we're Maltese, and Malta was one of the countries that didn't agree with the Accords. So because we're citizens, we have legal protection from the Accords."

"Oh this is just a big mess you've thrown in my lap, Phil," Mace spat. "Working with Gifteds that aren't required by their country's government to sign the Accords, and are offered protection from being forced to sign it. This is what you were keeping from me?"

"An interesting predicament in so, until you hear what else is going on behind the curtain." Phil nodded to Simmons. "Tell them."

"Donald-- Donnie-- was forcibly Turned."

"He's Inhuman?"

"And fiercely protective of his wife, Thalia, an Asgardian hybrid."

"Why does that sound familiar?"

"Thor's Asgardian."

"She's Thor's daughter?!"

"No. There are others, sir. Her mother is Asgardian and currently in prison."

"So an American Inhuman that's married to a half-human Maltese diplomat; that means he's not legally required to sign the Accords while working in the U.S. government."

"Welcome to the most protected couple on the planet."

"I've got paperwork to fill out," Mace muttered into his hand. "Keep an eye on those two. Get the cuffs off them."

When their cuffs were removed, Donnie took her hands. Mace and Phil left the room, followed by Simmons and Carroll a short time later. "How are you?"

Thalia raised her eyebrow. "Wired."

"Ha ha, real funny," Donnie kissed her forehead. "Where did this come from?"

"Where did what come from?"

"A piece of your hair is blonde," he carefully teased the portion out of the wires. "See?"

"Hmm," Thalia inspected the strand, watching it darken back to black. "Wonder where that came from."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments and feedback!


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